bioMérieux And FIND To Collaborate On Infectious Disease Diagnostics

Main Category: Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses
Also Included In: Tuberculosis
Article Date: 19 May 2008 - 1:00 PDT

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bioMérieux, (Paris:BIM) a leader in the field of in vitro diagnostics and FIND (the Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics), a Swiss non-profit foundation, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to jointly undertake development projects in the field of infectious disease diagnostics.

Over the course of a four-year affiliation, the two organizations aim not only to bring together their know-how and expertise in the development of new, more rapid diagnostic tests but also to strengthen laboratory infrastructures for the public health sector in high-burden countries.

A recent WHO report on tuberculosis, based on data collected over a four-year period, states that multi- and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis cases are at an all-time high. Furthermore, the emergence and rapid transmission of infectious diseases in today's global environment make their diagnosis a priority for public private partnerships who are dedicated to improving the health of those who are most disadvantaged.

"bioMérieux has an historic commitment to improving public health and finding solutions for major global challenges like tuberculosis," stated Stéphane Bancel, Chief Executive Officer of bioMérieux. "FIND has made remarkable inroads in the development, evaluation and demonstration of new diagnostic tests for poverty-related diseases and is now accompanying them further into the public health sector of developing countries. We are very proud to partner with FIND in this important mission," he added.

"Combating poverty-related infectious diseases with the development and rapid introduction of new diagnostic tests where they are most needed is why partnerships like the one between bioMérieux and FIND are extremely important," said Dr. Giorgio Roscigno, Chief Executive Officer of FIND. "We are very excited to work with bioMérieux who can bring to the table their well-known expertise in microbiology and immunoassays for the development of infectious disease diagnostics, as well as their extensive coverage of countries where the products of this collaboration could make a vital difference."

About Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis (TB) is an airborne disease caused by a pathogen belonging to the species Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Infection is spread through aerosols released in the air when a contagious person speaks, coughs, sneezes or even sings. It is the world's second deadliest infectious disease - following HIV/AIDS. A major public health threat, TB is extremely widespread in developing countries. About one third of the world's population is currently infected with the TB bacillus. Out of this pool of latent TB infections, approximately 9.2 million people develop the active, infectious, form of tuberculosis each year. In 2006 about 1.7 million people died of tuberculosis worldwide.

Despite the availability of effective antibiotic treatment against TB, the more recent emergence of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis strains (MDR-TB) and rising rates of HIV/TB co-infection have led to significant new healthcare challenges. It is currently estimated that 500,000 cases of MDR-TB occur annually. Of the 40 million people infected with HIV worldwide, an estimated one third is co-infected with TB with rates reaching over 50% in many African countries.

Sources: Global Tuberculosis Control, WHO Report 2008 / USAIDS

About bioMérieux

Advancing Diagnostics to Improve Public Health

A world leader in the field of in vitro diagnostics for 45 years, bioMérieux is present in more than 150 countries through 38 subsidiaries and a large network of distributors. In 2007, revenues reached €1.063 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. Its products are used for diagnosing infectious diseases and providing high medical value results for cardiovascular emergencies and cancer screening and monitoring. They are also used for detecting microorganisms in agri-food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic products. bioMérieux is listed on the NYSE Euronext Paris market (Code: BIM - Code ISIN: FR0010096479). Other information can be found at http://www.biomerieux.com.

About FIND

The Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics is a non-profit organization based in Geneva, Switzerland. Its purpose is to support and promote the health of people in developing countries by accelerating the development and introduction of new but affordable diagnostic tools for poverty related diseases. FIND's current disease programs include tuberculosis, malaria and human African trypanosomiasis. FIND is ISO 9001:2000 and ISO 13485:2003 certified.

http://www.finddiagnostics.org

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