DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2019

DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS [Abstract]

DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS

NOTE 1 — DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS:

Chembio Diagnostics, Inc. and its subsidiaries (collectively, the “Company” or “Chembio”) develop, manufacture, and commercialize point-of-care (“POC”) diagnostic tests that are used to detect or monitor diseases. The Company’s product development efforts are focused on its patented DPP technology, a novel POC diagnostic platform that offers certain customer advantages as compared to traditional lateral flow technology. POC tests, by providing prompt and early diagnosis, can reduce patient stays, lower overall costs, improve therapeutic interventions and improve patient outcomes.  POC tests can also prevent needless hospital admissions, simplify testing procedures, avoid delays from central lab batching, and eliminate the need for return visits.

The Company’s product commercialization and product development efforts are focused in two areas: infectious disease, which includes both sexually transmitted and tropical & fever disease; and strategic collaborations with leading global healthcare companies in order to leverage the DPP platform. In infectious disease, the Company is commercializing tests for HIV, Syphilis, Zika virus, dengue virus, and chikungunya virus, and developing tests for hepatitis C, malaria, ebola, lassa, Marburg, leptospirosis, Rickettsia typhi, Burkholderia pseudomallei, and Orientia tsutsugamushi. Certain of these are also being developed as part of fever panel tests. Through strategic collaborations, the Company is developing tests for a specific form of cancer, concussions, bovine tuberculosis, and, in collaboration with global biopharmaceutical company AstraZeneca, an undisclosed biomarker.

Large and growing markets have been established for these kinds of tests, initially in high prevalence regions where they are critical for large scale prevention and treatment programs. The Company’s product development is focused on areas where the availability of rapid, POC screening, diagnostic, or confirmatory results can improve health outcomes.  More generally, the Company believes there is and will continue to be a growing demand for diagnostic products that can provide accurate, actionable diagnostic information in a rapid, cost-effective manner at the point of care.

The Company’s products are sold to medical laboratories and hospitals, governmental and public health entities, non-governmental organizations, medical professionals and retail establishments, both domestically and internationally, under its STAT-PAK, SURE CHECK, STAT-VIEW and DPP registered trademarks, or under the private labels of its marketing partners.

The Company routinely enters into arrangements with governmental and non-governmental organizations for the funding of certain research and development efforts.