Oxitec and Orkin Enter into National Partnership to Combat Dengue-Spreading Mosquitoes with Friendly™ Aedes aegypti Solutions
ANNOUNCEMENT
Oxitec and Orkin Enter into National Partnership to Combat Dengue-Spreading Mosquitoes with Friendly™ Aedes aegypti Solutions
Oxitec’s new partnership with Orkin is expanding the distribution of Friendly™ Aedes aegypti nationally.
The Friendly™ Aedes aegypti product was launched nationwide in Brazil in 2022, and is now serving governments, businesses and households across the country.
New solutions to control the Aedes aegypti mosquito are urgently needed at a time when the number of dengue cases is skyrocketing, with almost 6 million cases reported in Brazil since the beginning of 2024.
Campinas 28/6/2024 - Oxitec Ltd, the leading developer of insect-based biological solutions to control pests that transmit diseases, destroy crops and harm livestock, announced today a new partnership with one of the pest control industry leaders, Orkin, to distribute Oxitec’s Friendly™ Aedes aegypti in Brazil. Orkin will make this product – known as Aedes do Bem™ in Brazil - available to its government and corporate customers, expanding Oxitec's distribution network and helping communities to control the Aedes aegypti mosquito in the face of an unprecedented dengue crisis. Brazil already has almost 6 million probable cases of the disease in 2024, far surpassing the 1.6 million cases reported in the whole of 2023.
Since the national launch of Friendly™ Aedes aegypti in 2022, Oxitec has sold the product through authorized distributors to serve governments, companies and communities across all regions of the country. This new partnership with Orkin will help Oxitec meet rapidly-growing demand nationwide from its state-of-the-art facility located in Campinas, São Paulo.
Orkin is present across Brazil’s two largest metropolitan centers, including Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, and serves more than a thousand active customers across the country, supporting households, businesses and government institutions. Orkin offers personalized and effective solutions using the latest technologies and sustainable methods to combat pests.
“Oxitec’s Friendly™ Aedes aegypti is leading the way as a more sustainable solution to combat the mosquito responsible for dengue, which has a problematic history in Brazil. This new partnership between Orkin and Oxitec reinforces our commitment to public health and innovation in pest control. We have worked with great dedication in the State of Rio de Janeiro, due to its history of high cases, to implement this solution in as many municipalities and companies as possible. We are excited to offer our government and corporate clients an effective and environmentally friendly tool to combat dengue,” said Ruan Farias, Director of Orkin in Brazil.
Oxitec CEO Grey Frandsen added: “This new partnership with Orkin represents Oxitec's commitment to making this groundbreaking and much-needed solution available to everyone via committed distribution partners who are leading the charge against Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in Brazil. In light of the increase in dengue fever across Brazil, this new partnership with one of the world's leading pest control companies is helping us to further expand access to our solution for a broad range of customers across the country. It’s great partners like Orkin that are helping us scale the world’s first commercial-scale solution for this mosquito at precisely the time it’s needed the most.”
Oxitec’s just-add-water product produces non-biting Friendly™ male mosquitoes over time, which mate with invasive, biting Aedes aegypti females. Their female offspring cannot survive, which means fewer biting female mosquitoes in the following generations. In urban pilots in the city of Indaiatuba, deployments of the Friendly™ Aedes aegypti in densely populated communities led to up to 96% suppression of Aedes aegypti populations. This Friendly™ product technology controls the pest mosquito without harming beneficial species like bees and butterflies.
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About Oxitec
Oxitec is the world’s leader in sustainable biologically engineered solutions to the world’s largest pest threats for human health, food security, and environmental sustainability. The first to market and first to achieve successful commercialization of targeted, self-limiting species-specific pest solutions, Oxitec has developed the Friendly™ technology platform which is advancing diversified solutions to critical pest challenges around the world. Driven by a team comprised of 15 nationalities and with strong partners, collaborators and distributors in multiple countries and markets, Oxitec is leading the global transition to sustainable pest management. Learn more at oxitec.com.
About Orkin
With more than 120 years of pest control experience, Orkin is recognized as a global leader in protecting communities from pests. Founded in 1901, Orkin has an extensive international network, operating in more than 70 countries around the world. The company is known for its innovative, science-based approach to pest control, providing high-quality services that ensures the safety and well-being of its customers.
Press Information:
Manu Vergamini
manu.vergamini@vireinoticia.com.br
Cel.: +55 11 98772-1162
Luiz Lamim
Cel.: +55 11 94512-2181
Mauricio Storelli
Cel.: +55 11 99451-8558