Media Statement: bioMérieux commitments in the CDC’s “AMR Challenge”, a joint public-private sector initiative to accelerate the fight against antimicrobial resistance

Marcy l'Etoile, France, September 25, 2018 - bioMérieux, a world leader in the field of in vitro diagnostics, is participating in the AMR Challenge, a new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) initiative to bring government, healthcare and industry leaders together in a year-long concentrated effort to accelerate the fight against the public health threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). This initiative expands on the commitments of the 2015 White House Stewardship Forum, at which bioMérieux was one of two infectious disease diagnostic companies invited to participate, among 150 other global healthcare leaders.

The AMR Challenge represents the next phase in the CDC’s endeavor to call on all sectors to partner together to curtail and fight AMR. According to a 2016 study commissioned by the British government, by 2050, AMR could kill as many as 10 million people each year and cost the world economy as much as $100 trillion.

bioMérieux will actively participate in the AMR Challenge with three commitments:

• Innovative diagnostics: In 2018, approximately 75% of bioMérieux’s clinical R&D budget is dedicated to develop effective diagnostics that support the fight against AMR. With a longstanding expertise in microbiology, bioMérieux provides clinical diagnostic solutions and services to guide clinicians and support them in determining the most effective treatment, for improved patient care. The Company’s portfolio also encompasses industrial applications for pathogen detection in the agri-food and pharmaceutical industries and in veterinary medicine (One Health approach).
• International surveys: bioMérieux is the sole sponsor of the Global Point Prevalence Survey (GLOBAL-PPS), the first global initiative providing a unique overview of the global burden of antibiotic use and resistance rates in hospitals worldwide, led by Pr. Herman Goossens, University of Antwerp (Belgium). In 2017, it was conducted in more than 50 countries and over 400 hospital networks, gathering data on more than 100,000 hospitalized patients. In view of the importance of the information generated by this survey to effect beneficial changes in hospital practice, the GLOBAL-PPS will now be repeated annually.
• Public-private partnerships: Among several public-private partnerships, bioMérieux is part of COMBACTE (COMbatting BACTerial resistance in Europe), a unique research consortium aiming at boosting research and innovation against AMR within the framework of Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI). Furthermore bioMérieux is leading an IVD industrial community calling for an IMI co-funded project to demonstrate the value of diagnostics to combat antimicrobial resistance by optimizing antibiotic use.

bioMérieux is pleased to be participating in the CDC’s launch event tonight in New York City. Representing bioMérieux is Christine Ginocchio, PhD MT(ASCP), Vice President, Global Medical Affairs for bioMérieux. The launch event will be live streamed beginning at 7pm EST and can be viewed online here.

bioMérieux provides the largest product offering, with effective diagnostic solutions for screening, pathogen identification, antibiotic susceptibility testing, epidemiological surveillance & outbreak detection, and appropriate antibiotic therapy guidance. Diagnostic tests are essential for antibiotic stewardship programs and the bioMérieux product offering brings key complementary components to such an approach. The Company is also involved in many educational initiatives to raise awareness on the importance of diagnostics and the appropriate use of antibiotics to curb antimicrobial resistance.

For more information, please visit: https://www.antimicrobial-resistance.biomerieux.com.

About the Role of Diagnostics in AMR

According to the CDC, approximately “30 percent of antibiotics, or 47 million prescriptions annually, are prescribed unnecessarily in doctors’ offices and emergency departments in the United States […]. Antibiotics are overprescribed in both human and animal settings, which makes everyone less safe.” A key goal in the CDC’s NATIONAL ACTION PLAN FOR COMBATING ANTIBIOTIC-RESISTANT BACTERIA is to reduce “inappropriate antibiotic use by 50% in outpatient settings and by 20% in inpatient settings” by 2020.

To achieve this, the CDC’s Antibiotic Resistance (AR) Solutions Initiative makes innovative and rapid diagnostic tests a pillar of this national effort to curtail AMR. For healthcare systems, diagnostic tests are essential tools in order to improve overall patient outcomes and for the cost-efficient management of individuals with suspected or confirmed infections – whether this occurs in a low-resource setting without access to Antibiotic Stewardship Program or in a high-resource setting with sophisticated Antibiotic Stewardship Programs (ASP). On an individual basis, these same tests are beneficial in helping to decide if antibiotics are needed (as they are used to treat or prevent some types of bacterial infections and are not effective against viral infections) and to determine the optimal antibiotic treatment for a patient. In terms of public health impact, diagnostics are the crucial elements which generate informative and effective AMR surveillance systems, yielding important information on the trends in pathogen incidence and resistance in countries, regions, and around the globe.

About bioMérieux

Pioneering Diagnostics

A world leader in the field of in vitro diagnostics for over 50 years, bioMérieux is present in more than 150 countries through 43 subsidiaries and a large network of distributors. In 2017, revenues reached €2,228 million, with over 90% of international sales.

bioMérieux provides diagnostic solutions (systems, reagents, software) which determine the source of disease and contamination to improve patient health and ensure consumer safety. Its products are mainly used for diagnosing infectious diseases. They are also used for detecting microorganisms in agri-food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic products.

bioMérieux is listed on the Euronext Paris stock market
Symbol: BIM – ISIN Code: FR0013280286
Reuters: BIOX.PA/Bloomberg: BIM.FP

Corporate website: www.biomerieux.com.

Contacts

Media Relations

bioMérieux
Aurore Sergeant
Tel.: + 33 4 78 87 20 53
media@biomerieux.com

Image Sept
Laurence Heilbronn
Tel.: + 33 1 53 70 74 64
lheilbronn@image7.fr

Claire Doligez
Tel.: + 33 1 53 70 74 48
cdoligez@image7.fr

Media Relations U.S.
bioMérieux
Tim Baker
Tel.: +1 216.508.5355
timothy.baker@biomerieux.com

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