VITA 34 International AG: Exclusive agreement with Italian partner renewed prematurely

VITA 34 International AG: Exclusive agreement with Italian partner renewed prematurely

– Cooperation extended by three more years until mid-2014
– Important step to strengthen the position on the attractive Italian market
– Successful foreign business contributes considerably to the company's success

Leipzig, December 15, 2010 – VITA 34 International AG (ISIN DE000A0BL849), the parent company of the largest private umbilical cord blood bank in the German-speaking countries VITA 34 AG, has prematurely renewed its exclusive agreement with the Italian partner Sorgente S.r.l., which runs until the end of July 2011, by three more years. Sorgente, with its headquarters in Milan, works with VITA 34 since 2009 and has since undertaken the entire marketing and sales of individual umbilical cord blood storages in Italy on behalf of VITA 34. In Italy, the umbilical cord blood of about four percent of the annual 570,000 births is currently privately stored, the share in Germany is about two to three percent of approximately 650,000 births.

In the first 18 months, Sorgente has already achieved a market share of 4.5 percent by offering the high quality of the umbilical cord blood storages of VITA 34 and will take a leading position on the Italian market in the foreseeable future.

Dr. med. Eberhard Lampeter, VITA 34 CEO: 'Sorgente is a competent and reliable partner for us. By renewing the agreement, we will strengthen our position in Italy. Besides the Spanish, the Italian market is one of the most attractive for us in Southern Europe. The premature renewal and the long term are a positive signal for a stable partnership.'

Besides its presence in Italy, VITA 34 is represented by a subsidiary in Austria and by Secuvita in Spain, and through other cooperation partners in Slovenia, Switzerland and other countries.

Press / Investor Relation:
Axel Mühlhaus
Dr. Sönke Knop
Edicto GmbH
Eschersheimer Landstr. 42
60322 Frankfurt a.M.

Tel.: +49 (069) 90550550
Fax: +49 (069) 90550577
eMail: vita34@edicto.de