Trimega Laboratories Named as one of the UK's Most Innovative Companies
LONDON, August 3, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --
Trimega Laboratories Shortlisted for the Orange Innovation Gong at the National Business Awards
Trimega Laboratories, the leading substance abuse testing company, based in Manchester, has today been named as one of the most innovative businesses in the country. Trimega has been shortlisted for the coveted Orange Innovation Award, in the 10th annual National Business Awards.
Trimega was shortlisted because of its work in commercialising the technological breakthrough of a dual test to analyse hair samples for evidence of alcohol abuse by parents involved in child custody court cases. Dual hair testing can provide a picture of consumption during the previous six months with very high levels of accuracy - rates of over 94%, with less than 1% risk of a false positive, and 5.75% risk of a false negative. In contrast, traditional forms of testing, of urine and blood, can cover only the previous three days and four to six weeks respectively.
The Orange Innovation Award recognises businesses that have gone beyond the ordinary in their development and implemented cutting edge innovation in terms of products, services or company culture. Trimega will now prepare to make its presentation in person before an independent expert judging panel in October before the winners are announced at an awards ceremony in November.
Avi Lasarow, CEO of Trimega Laboratories, said: "We are thrilled to be shortlisted for the Orange Innovation of the Year Award. We have been an innovator and leader in the substance misuse analysis industry since our foundation in 2005 and we are delighted that our pioneering work and development of dual testing for hair alcohol analysis has been recognised by the National Business Awards. Done together, the two tests provide a very accurate indicator of long-term alcohol abuse so make a vital contribution to the evidence of consumption by parents in child custody cases."
Trimega has over 2,400 customers and employs 52 people across Manchester, London, Germany and South Africa. In 2010, its turnover was £4.7 million, double the £2.3m generated in 2009. In February, the company opened a £1m state-of-the-art laboratory in Manchester.
10,000 hair alcohol tests and 7,000 hair drug tests are carried out on UK samples each year, of which Trimega is responsible for around 40 per cent.
Trimega also has a partnership in Brazil and Nick Clegg, the Deputy Prime Minister, highlighted this investment during a keynote speech in Brasilia during the UK trade delegation's visit to the country in June. Following an introduction by UK Trade Investment, Trimega established a partnership with Laboratório Sodré of São Paulo, Brazil, to conduct tests on Brazilian hair samples for evidence of drug misuse.
In total, over 152 of Britain's top public and private sector businesses have been announced as finalists across all categories in the National Business Awards, in partnership with Orange.
Announcing the Orange Innovationfinalists, Martin Stiven, Vice President of Business at Orange, part of Everything Everywhere, said: "Orange believes that innovation is central to all business growth and we support businesses to achieve this goal. If the UK is to regain its role as a world leader of innovation, we firmly believe that British companies must embrace a new way of thinking and invest time and resource into doing this. This year's finalists demonstrate exceptional innovation and are a testament to pioneering UK business."
Sherry Coutu, Investment Committee, NESTA, who sat on this year's National Business Awards shorlisting panel, said: "Trimega's unleashing of the scientific talents focused on drug and alcohol testing was impressive. I hope its next decision is to take these innovations overseas."
The National Business Awards are organised by UBM plc. Winners will be honoured at the National Business Awards gala dinner at the Grosvenor House Hotel, London, Tuesday 8th November, where George Osborne, the Chancellor of the Exchequer will deliver this year's welcome address. Visit http://www.nationalbusinessawards.co.uk for a full list of all 2011 finalists.
Notes for editor:
About the National Business Awards
- Visit http://www.nationalbusinessawards.co.uk for a full list of all 2011 finalists.
- About the National Business Awards
Open to organisations of all sizes from all sectors across the UK, the National Business Awards in partnership with Orange is the UK's most prestigious independent business recognition platform with its particular emphasis on excellence, innovation and ethical business. Now in its tenth year, the National Business Awards connects the nations' professionals through its annual awards ceremony; year-round thought leadership and round table events; and is UBM plc's flagship awards programme. Visit http://www.nationalbusinessawards.co.uk for further information.
- National Business Awards Categories 2011 are:
The Transformational Change of the Year; The Huawei Customer Focus Award; The Croner Employer of the Year; The Excellence in Marketing Award; The ICAEW Sustainability Award; The BlackBerry Growth Strategy of the Year; The Orange Innovation Award; The Entrepreneur of the Year Award; The BlackBerry Business Enabler of the Year; The Small Online Business of the Year; The WorldPay Online Business of the Year; The Santander Small to Medium Sized Business of the Year; The 3i Private Business of the Year; The Grant Thornton Mid-Cap Business of the Year; Coutts & Co Large Cap Business of the Year; The Daily Telegraph Award for a Decade of Excellence in Business; and The Orange Leader of the Year.
- For the full Entrepreneurship at a Glance 2011 report visit: http://www.oecd.org/document/8/0,3746,en_21571361_44315115_48276232_1_1_1_1,00.html
About Trimega Laboratories (http://www.trimegalabs.co.uk)
Established in London in 2005, Trimega Laboratories is well recognised for being a leader in the development of innovative techniques for testing for substances of abuse. Its core business is laboratory-based analysis of hair samples that provide accurate historical records of alcohol or drugs dependency over a one to 12 month period. In the UK, Trimega's core clients include: family law specialists, law courts, and social services.
Trimega was the first to market with dual-marker hair alcohol testing (FAEE and EtG). Dual hair testing provides very accurate results: at its annual conference in March 2011, the Society of Hair Testing (SoHT) confirmed that dual testing on hair for alcohol misuse provides accuracy rates of over 94%, with less that 1% risk of a false positive, and 5.75% risk of a false negative. The SoHT's consensus was based on analysis of Trimega's data set of approximately 2,000 dual hair testing samples, the largest of its kind in the world.
Other services offered by Trimega include: Roadside Drugalyzer Testing for law enforcement, Hair Steroid Testing for athletes, and Hair Benzodiazepines Testing.
Trimega won the title of Best Use of Technology in the 2008 Barclays-sponsored Startups Awards, and has been on the shortlist for the National Business Awards three years running. Trimega is also one of 25 companies to represent the UK in the 2011 European Business Awards.
Trimega conducts its hair alcohol analysis in laboratories in Germany which are accredited with international standard ISO 17025 by DAkkS, the German issuing authority, equivalent to UKAS in the UK. The technology for hair-alcohol testing originated in Germany.
The UK Ministry of Justice does not require hair testing laboratories to be accredited. However, Trimega's UK laboratory in Manchester, which carries out drug tests, operates to ISO 17025 standards, and has applied for ISO 17025 accreditation from UKAS. Trimega's Manchester laboratory already has IS0 9001:2008 certification from Lloyd's Register Group, itself accredited by UKAS, for the 'provision of clinical collecting, testing, analysis and interpretation services for substances of abuse'. In addition, the Manchester laboratory is the only UK laboratory in the industry to have ISO 14001 certification from QMS International, the environmental management system standard for internal quality management. Trimega is an Investor in People.
Trimega was responsible for the creation of a Hair Strand Scientific Advisory Board. Its purpose is to analyse the fast growing database of information created from the 10,000 hair alcohol tests and 7,000 hair drug tests carried out on UK samples each year, of which Trimega is responsible for around 40%. The findings of the Board are shared with the Society of Hair Testing which will assist it in future decisions, particularly those relating to the setting of universal standards/guidelines.
SOURCE Trimega Laboratories
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