bioMérieux Unveils Extended Menu for the VIDAS UP Platform at the American Association for Clinical Chemistry's 2008 Annual Meeting

bioMérieux, a world leader in the field of in vitro diagnostics, will present an extended line of assays for the VIDAS® platform at the 2008 American Association for Clinical Chemistry (AACC) Annual Meeting July 27-31 in Washington, D.C. The assays being presented for the VIDAS® immunoassay system for automated pathogen detection include:

• VIDAS® C. difficile Toxin A&B (CDA+B), which offers rapid detection of the C. difficile bacterium, the most common cause of antibiotic-associated diarrhea in hospitals.
• VIDAS® B·R·A·H·M·S PCT®, an innovative Procalcitonin assay that aids in the risk assessment for progression to severe sepsis and septic shock.
• VIDAS® Troponin I Ultra for diagnosis of Myocardial Infarctions.
• VIDAS® NT-proBNP to aid the diagnosis of suspected congestive heart failure.
• VIDAS® D-Dimer Exclusion™ for diagnosis of Pulmonary Embolism (PE) or Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) in the emergency department.
• VIDAS® CK-MB to aid in the diagnosis of Acute Myocardial Infarctions.

bioMérieux will also showcase three new microbiology laboratory automation platforms at AACC. Previously launched at ASM 2008, the following new instruments are designed to complement bioMérieux’s complete range of automated solutions, including the BacT/ALERT® for blood culture, VITEK® 2 for identification and antibiotic susceptibility testing and DiversiLab™ for microbial straintyping:

• PREVI™ Isola, a pre-poured media streaker designed to automate routine agar plate processing.
• PREVI™ Color Gram, bringing automation to a new lab procedure with its unique staining technology.
• Sysmex® UF-1000i, a urinary screening tool that allows laboratory technicians to accurately detect and enumerate bacteria and particles present in urine specimens.

“bioMérieux continues to provide comprehensive clinical tests to meet healthcare demands,” said Herb Steward, executive vice president, bioMérieux, Inc. “In addition to being committed to delivering full microbiology lab automation, we strive to innovate new ways to improve the value our platforms deliver for the healthcare dollar.”

During the AACC meeting, bioMérieux will also co-sponsor a symposium: “Clarifying the Role of NT-proBNP by Consensus.” The forum will address three components of a recent consensus statement published in the February 2008 American Journal of Cardiology, including the importance and interpretation of intermediate NT-proBNP concentrations and the differential diagnosis of evaluated NT-proBNP levels. The symposium will be held on Wednesday, July 30 from 6 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. at the Renaissance Washington.

Visit bioMérieux at the 2008 AACC at booth #1743. For more information, visit http://www.biomerieux-usa.com.

About bioMérieux

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. Our 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 www.biomerieux.com.

Media Contacts

Fleishman-Hillard
Tim Baker
Tel.: 1 919-457-0743
tim.baker@fleishman.com

bioMérieux, Inc.
Allan Mohess
Tel.: 1 919-620-2937
allan.mohess@na.biomerieux.com