SAN DIEGO, Jan. 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- BD Diagnostics, a segment of
BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) (NYSE: BDX), announced today it has
received clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to market the BD
GeneOhm(TM) Cdiff molecular assay for the rapid detection of the Toxin B gene
found in toxigenic Clostridium difficile, the bacterial pathogen responsible
for Clostridium difficile infection (CDI). It is the first CDI molecular
diagnostic that offers sensitivity, simplicity and speed in one test procedure.
"The BD GeneOhm Cdiff assay provides a simple and rapid stool test with
excellent sensitivity and specificity that allows same-day identification of
toxigenic Clostridium difficile," said Thomas Davis, M.D., Ph.D., Professor,
Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the Indiana University School of Medicine,
and Pathologist with Wishard Health Services and Clarian Health laboratories.
"This test should improve patient care because it gives labs the option of a
single assay that will markedly reduce or even eliminate the need for multiple
screening and confirmatory tests. This would speed up reporting and help avoid
unnecessary antibiotic use."
In the United States, an estimated 500,000 people are infected annually,
and more than 28,000 die from CDI. A recent national survey conducted by the
Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology suggests
that 13 out of every 1,000 hospitalized patients are suffering from CDI, and
more than 7,000 patients in U.S. hospitals have CDI on any given day. The
average length of stay for a CDI patient is nearly three times longer than the
typical patient, and CDI is estimated to lead to $1 billion in excess
healthcare costs annually in the United States. CDI rates continue to
increase, driven by a new epidemic strain known as BI/NAP1/027, which has now
been detected in at least 38 states, Canada and 14 European countries.
"CDI poses a significant challenge for healthcare facilities around the
world," said Jamie Condie, Vice President and General Manager, BD Diagnostics
- Molecular Diagnostics. "The introduction of the BD GeneOhm Cdiff assay
demonstrates BD's ongoing commitment to develop a broad range of products to
help prevent HAIs. BD provides molecular tests for key pathogens associated
with HAIs, including Staphylococcus aureus, methicillin-resistant
Staphylococcus aureus, vancomycin-resistant enterococci, and now Clostridium
difficile."
Cleared for the identification of toxigenic Clostridium difficile directly
from stool specimens, the BD GeneOhm Cdiff assay targets the Toxin B gene,
found in virtually all toxigenic Clostridium difficile strains, including the
emerging BI/NAP1/027 epidemic strain. It is the only CDI molecular assay that
combines high sensitivity and specificity and provides definitive test results
in less than two hours. This new test may facilitate earlier and more
appropriate antibiotic treatment of CDI patients. It may also lead to earlier
implementation of infection control interventions that help prevent the
transmission of the pathogen to other patients. Until now, diagnosing CDI
rapidly has proven difficult. Traditional methods, including immunoassays,
lack sufficient sensitivity, while tissue culture cytotoxicity methods are
difficult to perform and require several days to yield results.
About BD
BD is a leading global medical technology company that develops,
manufactures and sells medical devices, instrument systems and reagents. The
Company is dedicated to improving people's health throughout the world. BD is
focused on improving drug delivery, enhancing the quality and speed of
diagnosing infectious diseases and cancers, and advancing research, discovery
and production of new drugs and vaccines. BD's capabilities are instrumental
in combating many of the world's most pressing diseases. Founded in 1897 and
headquartered in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey, BD employs approximately 28,000
people in approximately 50 countries throughout the world. The Company serves
healthcare institutions, life science researchers, clinical laboratories, the
pharmaceutical industry and the general public. For more information, please
visit http://www.bd.com.
SOURCE BD-Becton Dickinson