In Drug Resistant Strains, a Raison d'Etre for NAT Testing

NEW YORK, NY, Aug 27 (MARKET WIRE) --
An expanding population of bacterial strains that are drug resistant,
including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), will be the
most important justification for nucleic acid-based tests (NAT).
According to "Infectious Disease Diagnostic Markets," a new report from
leading life science market research company Kalorama Information, the
most substantial growth in the $8.4 billion market for infectious disease
diagnostics is in molecular testing.

The needs of infectious disease testing are such that the two traditional
methods, culture-based assays and immunoassays, are becoming increasingly
inadequate. One key reason for this is the increase in drug-resistant
infections. Immunoassays have no analytical potential here and
culture-based assays for bacterial susceptibility/sensitivity, though low
cost, are slow and often difficult.

"Relevancy is established through significantly improved efficacy and not
marginal improvement," says Bruce Carlson, publisher of Kalorama
Information. "NAT testing can be put to many uses, but what will get it
into more labs is its role in determining the genetic differences that
make a bacterial strain such as MRSA or MDR-TB/XDR-TB drug resistant, with
results in 2-4 hours."

This has allowed physicians to more rapidly select combination
therapeutics for infections such as these. And in viral applications, for
example in HIV infection, it has been equally valuable in detecting drug
resistances that have developed in response to therapy.

What will cause immunoassays and culture-based assays to remain in the
laboratory will be their relatively low cost. The cost of NAT assays,
which are not usually analyzed outside the hospital lab, is still high at
around $25-$35, while selective media cost about $5 a plate.

Laboratories are still largely equipped with immunoassay instrumentation,
but not all have access to a thermal cycler or the expertise to perform a
molecular MRSA test. And Kalorama expects replacement to be slow as a
result of the recession. Therefore, both culture-based assays and
immunoassays will hold ground with regard to infections disease tests that
do not require rapid turn-around or are otherwise difficult to perform.

Kalorama Information's new report, "Infectious Disease Diagnostic
Markets," focuses on products used for the diagnosis of bacterial and
viral infections and addresses the significant impact that the rising
threat of infections such as MRSA, swine flu and others are having on
diagnostics. A market summary includes a total market analysis, key
product summary, forecasts and a competitive analysis of leading
companies. For further information visit:
http://www.kaloramainformation.com/redirect.asp?progid=71167&productid=2391680.

About Kalorama Information

Kalorama Information supplies the latest in independent market research in
the life sciences, as well as a full range of custom research services. We
routinely assist the media with healthcare topics. Follow us on Twitter:
www.twitter.com/KaloramaInfo

Please direct all media inquiries to:
Andrea Hiller
press@kaloramainformation.com
www.kaloramaInformation.com

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