Canadian health group chooses PerkinElmer

PerkinElmer Inc. said today it was selected by a Canadian provincial healthcare system to help support the expansion of the system's newborn screening program.

PerkinElmer of Waltham is a provider of health sciences and photonics products and services to the pharmaceutical and medical industries, among others.

Under the agreement, signed in the second half of 2006, Capital Health of Edmonton, Alberta, has purchased tandem mass spectrometry systems, reagent kits, and screening software from PerkinElmer to expand Alberta's newborn screening for inherited metabolic disorders, including cystic fibrosis, PerkinElmer said.

The expanded screening program, which now includes screening for 17 metabolic conditions in newborns, began province-wide on April 1, PerkinElmer said.

In a press release, PerkinElmer described the deal with Capital Health as "a multi-year, multi-million dollar agreement," but did not provide further financial details.
(By Chris Reidy, Globe staff)