bioMérieux to Feature Sepsis Solutions at New York Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology

bioMérieux, a world leader in in vitro diagnostics today announced that it is bringing its proven lineup of innovative solutions for the diagnosis and management of sepsis patients to the 2013 Annual Spring Meeting of the New York Branch of the American Society for Microbiology. Current events in the State of New York are bringing the issue of sepsis to the fore. The tragic death in April of 2012 of a 12-year-old boy has resulted in the state taking unprecedented action designed to save lives from sepsis. By standardizing protocols and utilizing newer diagnostic solutions, hospitals can more rapidly recognize this life threatening condition.

In January of 2013, New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced the creation or “Rory’s Regulation,” a new law that will go into effect in May of 2013 requiring that all hospitals in the State of New York adopt and implement an evidence-based sepsis protocol by July of 2013.

“With ‘Rory’s Regulation’ before state lawmakers right now, many healthcare providers in New York are developing new or updating protocols for sepsis identification and care,” said Mark Miller, Chief Medical Officer at bioMérieux. “bioMérieux is willing to play a leading role in helping to educate physicians and lab professionals about the diagnostic solutions available to them for the early identification and monitoring of sepsis.”

Sepsis Facts

CDC researchers found that sepsis hospitalizations increased by more than 300% from 1979 (164,000 cases) to 2000 (660,000 cases).¹

Severe sepsis costs in excess of $20,000 to treat per patient – putting it on par with heart attacks and other acute care conditions.² Sepsis patients typically require nearly 20 days of hospitalization.

bioMérieux is the maker of the VIDAS® B.R.A.H.M.S. PCT (procalcitonin) assay, cleared by the FDA in 2007. This test of high medical value for clinicians is intended to aid in the risk assessment of critically ill patients on their first day of ICU admission for progression to severe sepsis and septic shock.

PCT is a natural human protein that is released into the bloodstream when there is a severe bacterial infection – the leading underlying cause of sepsis. The bioMérieux VIDAS PCT assay is a 20-minute test that measures PCT levels and helps doctors assess the risk of sepsis in a patient early in the course of the condition before severe damage occurs.

About bioMérieux

Pioneering Diagnostics

A world leader in the field of in vitro diagnostics for 50 years, bioMérieux is present in more than 150 countries through 41 subsidiaries and a large network of distributors. In 2012, revenues reached €1.57 billion with 87% 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 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).

Additional information can be found at www.bioMérieux-usa.com.

Contacts

Media Relations

bioMérieux
Allan Mohess
Tel: +1 919-479-3639
allan.mohess@bioMérieux.com

Baker & Yorke
Tim Baker
Tel: + 1 216-338-8086
tbaker@baker-yorke.com

¹ Martin MS, Mannino DM, et al. The epidemiology of sepsis in the United States from 1979 through 2000. N Engl J Med. 2003;348:1546-1554.
² Angus DC, Linde-Zwirble WT, et al. Epidemiology of severe sepsis in the United States: analysis of incidence, outcome, and associated costs of care. Crit Care Med. 2001.