bioMérieux Joins with the Rory Staunton Foundation to Host the First National Forum on Sepsis

Event to be held Sept. 17 in Washington D.C. and will feature Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-NY), Konrad Reinhart, MD, of the Global Sepsis Alliance, Dr. Carl Flatley of the Erin K. Flatley Foundation and Thomas Frieden, MD, Director of the CDC.

bioMérieux, a world leader in the field of in vitro diagnostics, is proud to announce that it has joined with the Rory Staunton Foundation (RSF) in sponsoring the “First National Forum on Sepsis: Defeating the Killer,” on Sept. 17, 2014 in Washington D.C. The Forum is hosted by the RSF in conjunction with North Shore-LIJ Healthcare System. This historic event will bring together political leaders, including Senator Charles E. Schumer (D-NY), Congressman Joseph Crowley (D-NY), sepsis advocates including Konrad Reinhart, M.D., Chairman, Global Sepsis Alliance and Dr. Carl Flatley, Founder of the U.S. Sepsis Alliance, healthcare policy makers, including Thomas R. Frieden, M.D., Director, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Patrick Conway, MD, MSc, Chief Medical Officer, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and industry leaders including bioMérieux.

This event is among the many leadership activities bioMérieux is engaged in during the month of September, which is Sepsis Awareness Month. During this time, bioMérieux is collaborating with sepsis advocates, including the sponsorship of the Sepsis Alliance’s 3rd annual Celebration of Sepsis Heroes on September 18, 2014, and leading clinical experts to bring more attention to this often misunderstood condition. For more information visit www.sepsisknowfromday1.com.

"Undiagnosed and untreated sepsis killed our precious 12 year old son Rory, on April 01, 2012,” said Rory’s parents and RSF founders, Orlaith and Ciaran Staunton. “Our mission is to increase sepsis awareness and save lives through early identification, diagnosis and treatment. We are pleased to work with bioMérieux on the Forum."

Early detection and treatment will be the focal point of the Forum, particularly for patients who enter the ED with sepsis but whose symptoms are misdiagnosed. Guiding the presentations and discussion will be the recent Journal of the American Medical Association study: “Hospital Deaths in Patients with Sepsis from 2 Independent Cohorts.”1 This large retrospective analysis found that the fatality rate of sepsis is increasing. It also showed that patients who entered the hospital with sepsis were more likely to die from sepsis than those who acquired sepsis from a Hospital Acquired Infection (HAI).

“We are happy to join with the Rory Staunton Foundation, which has been remarkably effective in bringing about legislative change to improve sepsis management in the U.S.,” said Stefan Willemsen, President and CEO of bioMérieux Inc.. “bioMérieux is willing to play a leading role to provide lab professionals with diagnostic solutions enabling them to early identify and monitor of sepsis for better patient outcome.”

bioMérieux’s Legacy of Leadership in the Fight against Sepsis

bioMérieux is the maker of the VIDAS® B•R•A•H•M•S PCTTM (procalcitonin) assay, cleared by the FDA in 2007. It 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 and is an important part of leading hospitals’ protocols for sepsis. bioMérieux also produces instruments for the rapid detection of potentially harmful bacteria, such as those that can produce severe infections that lead to sepsis. These instruments include the BacT/ALERT® 3D which can detect organisms via blood culture, the new VITEK® MS mass spectrometry instrument for rapid microbial identification and the VITEK® 2 for rapid identification and antibiotic susceptibility testing (ID/AST). The combination of BacT/ALERT® 3D, VITEK® MS, VITEK® 2, and bioMerieux’s Myla® middleware is among the industry’s most comprehensive ID/AST solutions and serves to address the growing needs of today’s laboratories.

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 2013, revenues reached €1.588 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). Other information can be found at www.biomerieux-usa.com.

More information on bioMérieux partner of World Sepsis Day.

Media Contacts

Media Relations

bioMérieux

Suzanne Jones
Tel: +1 919-479-3637
suzanne.jones@biomerieux.com

Baker & Yorke

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