NMS Pharmaceuticals Gets OK for Test Kit

NMS Pharmaceuticals Inc. of Newport Beach said its Animal Biotech subsidiary has received Department of Agriculture approval to sell an over-the-counter test kit that measures the strength of the immunity system of newborn foals.

Company President Joseph H. Irani said the test, called Equine Immunobulin, can tell animal owners if a foal has acquired enough antibodies within the first few weeks after birth to fight disease.

The kit, which can be used about 70 times and is expected to sell for about $100, uses a color-changing dipstick to test blood drawn from the foals. A spokesman said the company believes there is a potential $30-million annual worldwide market for the kit.