DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2020

DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS [Abstract]

DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS

NOTE 1 — DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS:

Chembio Diagnostics, Inc. (“Chembio”) and its subsidiaries (collectively with Chembio, the “Company”) develop and commercialize rapid tests used for the detection and diagnosis of infectious diseases.

The Company has been expanding its product portfolio based upon its proprietary DPP technology, a novel, rapid diagnostic platform that uses a drop of blood from the fingertip to provide high-quality, cost-effective diagnostic results in approximately 15 minutes.

The Company’s product development and commercialization efforts are focused on infectious disease testing. During the six months ended June 30, 2020, the Company refocused its business strategy on the development and commercialization of the DPP COVID-19 System, which consists of a new serological test for COVID-19 and a Micro Reader analyzer. In the six months ended June 30, 2020, the Company developed, received regulatory approval in the US, Brazil and Europe for, and commercialized the DPP COVID-19 System, and began developing its strategy for a portfolio of products both related to and expanding beyond COVID-19. Near the end of that period, the U.S. FDA revoked the Company’s Emergency Use Authorization for the DPP COVID-19 System, and the Company immediately began developing a revised version.

In addition to the DPP COVID-19 System, the Company has a broad portfolio of infectious disease products, which it expects to generate a diminished amount of revenue for the foreseeable future while it focuses on the development, manufacture, and commercialization of the DPP COVID-19 System and related products. Through Research & Development (“R&D”) Services, the Company is developing tests for a rare disease in collaboration with Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited and a biomarker development project in collaboration with AstraZeneca plc.

Large and growing markets have been established for these types of tests, initially in high prevalence regions where they are indispensable for large-scale prevention and treatment programs. 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 globally to medical laboratories and hospitals, governmental and public health entities, non-governmental organizations, medical professionals and retail establishments under the Company’s DPP, STAT PAK, SURE CHECK and STAT-VIEW registered trademarks or under the private labels of the Company’s marketing partners.

Through R&D Services, the Company develops tests for third parties using its DPP platform and, in limited cases, other platforms in projects that the Company believes have the potential to create value for the rest of its business. In addition, the Company routinely enters into arrangements with governmental and non-governmental organizations for the funding of certain R&D efforts.