WOBURN, Mass., May 24 /PRNewswire/ -- AdvanDx today announced that it will offer the BinaxNOW® PBP2a test from Inverness Medical Innovations, Inc. (Waltham, MA) to customers in the United States. The test provides rapid detection of the penicillin-binding protein 2a (PBP2a) present in Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) directly from S. aureus positive blood cultures. In clinical studies, the test demonstrated 97.1% positive agreement and 100% negative agreement with conventional methods for detecting MRSA.

A study published in 2007 found over 94,000 reported cases of invasive MRSA in 2005, including 18,650 deaths related to the infections (1). Early detection of invasive infections due to MRSA is critical in efforts to decrease patient morbidity and mortality, reduce empiric use of vancomycin and permit cost-effective decisions for patient management (2). Conventional methods of susceptibility testing can take 24 hours, and mecA gene identification is expensive and time-consuming to perform.

By combining rapid and accurate S. aureus identification from PNA FISH and reflexing to PBP2a detection in MRSA using BinaxNOW PBP2a, AdvanDx will offer a unique, cost-effective and easy-to-use solution that will enable laboratories to provide rapid, accurate results 24 hours sooner than with conventional methods. This in turn will help physicians and pharmacists optimize antibiotic therapy and care for patients with S. aureus and MRSA bloodstream infections, while at the same time avoiding unnecessary therapy for patients with contaminated blood cultures.

"We are very excited to provide the BinaxNOW PBP2a test to our customers," said Thais T. Johansen, President and CEO of AdvanDx. "The addition of the test to our product offering demonstrates our commitment to provide rapid, clinically relevant tools to help laboratories, physicians and pharmacists improve care and outcomes for patients with bloodstream infections."

About Bloodstream Infections

Every year, close to 875,000 patients in the United States contract bloodstream infections, leading to over 150,000 deaths and significant costs to the healthcare system (3). The infection is detected when a culture of the patient's blood (i.e. a blood culture) turns positive with bacteria or yeast. Rapid and accurate identification of the specific infecting pathogen is crucial to ensure early and appropriate therapy and save patient lives.

About AdvanDx

AdvanDx is the leading provider of advanced molecular diagnostic products for the diagnosis and treatment of life-threatening, bloodstream infections. AdvanDx's easy-to-use products provide fast and accurate results that enable dramatic improvements in patient care and help to save lives and reduce hospital costs.

AdvanDx's products employ standard laboratory techniques and equipment to reduce startup, implementation, technician and maintenance time, while providing fast results without sacrificing accuracy. Major medical centers, reference labs, government institutions and community hospitals throughout the United States, Europe and Asia rely on AdvanDx products as integral parts of their medical care.

For more information visit www.AdvanDx.com.

References:

1. Klevens et al. Active Bacterial Core surveillance (ABCs) MRSA Investigators. Invasive Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections in the United States. JAMA. 2007 Oct 17;298(15):1763-71.
2. Lodise et al. Clinical and economic impact of methicillin resistance in patients with Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia. Diagn Microbiol Infect Dis. 2005 Jun; 52(2):113-22.
3. Al-Rawajfah et al. Incidence of and Risk Factors for Nosocomial Bloodstream Infections in Adults in the United States. Infect. Control Hosp Epedimiol. 2009 Nov; 30(11):1036-44

BinaxNOW® is a registered trademark of Inverness Medical Innovations, Inc. (Waltham, MA).

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SOURCE AdvanDx