Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is the most prevalent
multi-drug resistant bacteria and a growing threat to health
MARCY L’ETOILE, France--(Business Wire)--
Regulatory News:
bioMérieux (Paris:BIM), a world leader in the field of in vitro diagnostics,
today launched NucliSENS EasyQ® MRSA, a new automated test for Methicillin
Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), one of the leading causes of
healthcare-associated infections. NucliSENS EasyQ MRSA is CE marked and
bioMérieux will be submitting for 510(k) approval with the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration in the first half of 2010.
"bioMérieux is actively drivingthe fight against healthcare-associated
infections by getting the right information to clinicians rapidly with our
molecular solution EasyQ MRSA. bioMérieux is now the diagnostics company with
the most comprehensive MRSA product offering in the world," said Stéphane
Bancel, bioMérieux Chief Executive Officer. "At a time when reducing healthcare
costs is paramount, we are proud to bring an automated molecular test that we
are launching at an attractive price. More molecular tests for resistant
bacteria, like VRE and C. difficile, will be launched in the future on our EasyQ
platform."
The incidence of MRSA, the most prevalent multi-drug resistant bacteria, has
been rising steadily over the past decade worldwide and is now found in the
community. In some countries, more than 60% of S. aureus cases in hospital
intensive care units are now resistant not only to methicillin but also to other
first-line antibiotics.1
Studies have shown that the frequency of MRSA transmission is reduced 38-fold if
patients are identified and isolated.2 Systematic infection control measures,
including MRSA screening reduces the MRSA rate by 50%.3 NucliSENS EasyQ MRSA is
based on bioMérieux`s proprietary technologies, which allows the company to
offer it at an attractive cost, contributing to the reduction of healthcare
expenditures.
It complements chromID MRSA, bioMérieux`s chromogenic media, which enables
direct, color-specific visual observation of the bacterial colonies in patient
samples. With these two products, bioMérieux now offers hospitals and healthcare
providers cost-effective alternatives for all patient situations: emergency and
routine.
NucliSENS EasyQ MRSA detects 7 MRSA types4, covering the most prevalent strains.
The simultaneous detection of two targets, reducing the risk of a falsely
positive result, improves its specificity and avoids re-testing, inappropriate
antibiotic treatment and isolation of patients. The test provides rapid results,
with a turnaround time of under three hours and the flexibility of being used
for batch (46 tests) or stand-alone (1 test) screening.
This product launch is part of bioMérieux`s long-standing commitment to the
fight against bacterial resistance. bioMérieux recently funded with the U.S.
CDC, a new study5 on the economic impact of antibiotic overuse and
antibiotic-resistant infections on the U.S. healthcare system by the Alliance
for the Prudent Use of Antibiotics (APUA). bioMérieux also gathers leading
experts at its biennial World Healthcare-Associated Infection (HAI) Forum as
well as at regional symposia in countries around the world.
1) Laxminarayan, R., A. Malani. Extending the Cure: Policy responses to the
growing threat of antibiotic resistance. Washington, DC, Resources for the
Future 2007.
2) Vriens MR et al. Is methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus more
contagious than methicillin-susceptible S. aureus in a surgical intensive care
unit ? Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2002; 23:491-494
3) Harbarth S et al. Effect of delayed infection control measures on a hospital
outbreak of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. J Hosp Infect 2000;
46:43-49
4) MREJ types 1,2,3,4,5,7 and 12
5) Roberts RR, Hota B, Ahmad I, Scott RD 2nd, Foster SD, Abbasi F, Schabowski S,
Kampe LM, Ciavarella GG, Supino M, Naples J, Cordell R, Levy SB, Weinstein RA.
"Hospital and Societal Costs of Antimicrobial Resistant Infections in a Chicago
Teaching Hospital: Implications for Antibiotic Stewardship". Clin Infect Dis.
2009 Oct 15;49(8):1175-84.
About bioMérieux
Advancing diagnostics to improve public health
A world leader in the field of in vitro diagnostics for over 45 years,
bioMérieux is present in more than 150 countries through 39 subsidiaries and a
large network of distributors. In 2008, revenues reached €1.111 billion with 84%
of sales outside of France.
bioMérieux provides diagnostic solutions (reagents, instruments, software) which
determine the source of disease and contamination to improve patient health and
ensure consumer safety. Our products are used for diagnosing infectious diseases
and providing high medical value results for cancer screening and monitoring and
cardiovascular emergencies. They are also used for detecting microorganisms in
agri-food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic products.
bioMérieux is listed on the NYSE Euronext Paris market (Symbol: BIM - ISIN:
FR0010096479).
Other information can be found at www.biomerieux.com and
www.biomerieux.com/hai-resistance
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Investor Relations
bioMérieux
Isabelle Tongio, + 33 (0)4 78 87 22 37
investor.relations@eu.biomerieux.com
or
LT Value
Nancy Levain, +33 (0)1 44 50 39 30
nancy.levain@ltvalue.com
or
Press Relations
bioMérieux
Koren Wolman-Tardy, + 33 (0)4 78 87 20 08
media@eu.biomerieux.com
or
Image Sept
Tiphaine Hecketsweiler. + 33 (0)1 53 70 74 59
thecketsweiler@image7.fr
or
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lheilbronn@image7.fr
or
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Tim Baker, + 1 216-338-8086
Tim.Baker@fleishman.com
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