bioMérieux Unveils Full Microbiology Laboratory Automation Solutions

29 May, 2008

Automation Suite to be showcased at American Society for Microbiology (ASM) in Boston

bioMérieux, a world leader in the field of in vitro diagnostics, will unveil a new suite of “Full Microbiology Laboratory Automation” solutions at the 108th General Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology (ASM), held June 1-5 in Boston. bioMérieux believes that full microbiology laboratory automation is imperative to streamlining operations and making more reliable results available faster, particularly in light of the growing threat of healthcare-associated infections. Enhanced automation offsets an increasing lack of specialized personnel, contributing to the control of healthcare expenditures.

“bioMérieux is leveraging its expertise in infectious diseases and the integration of innovative technologies to ‘deliver the future’ to the microbiology laboratory,” said Stéphane Bancel, Chief Executive Officer, bioMérieux. “Driving full microbiology lab automation is bioMérieux’s number one priority, recognizing the promise it brings to this industry as the role of the microbiologist becomes increasingly important – for patient care and food safety. bioMérieux is proud to be at the forefront of this movement.”

bioMérieux will premier three new microbiology laboratory automation platforms at ASM. bioMerieux’s PREVI Isola™, a pre-poured media streaker designed to automate routine agar plate processing; the PREVI™ Color Gram, bringing automation to a new lab procedure with its unique staining technology; and the UF-1000i, a urinary screening tool that allows laboratory technicians to accurately detect and enumerate the bacteria and particles present in urine specimens. Taking automation to a new level in the analytic phase of laboratory processes, these solutions are designed to complement bioMérieux’s complete range of automated solutions, including, BacT/ALERT® for blood culture, VITEK® 2 for identification and antibiotic susceptibility testing and DiversiLab™ for microbial straintyping.

Attendees are invited to participate in daily bioMérieux in-booth Knowledge Forums to learn about the latest issues and advances in microbiology, molecular diagnostics and laboratory automation. Featuring a variety of industry experts, the Knowledge Forums will present topics such as streamlining laboratory processes, infectious disease updates, CLSI updates, laboratory ergonomics and best practices for sample collection.*

bioMérieux will also host a User Group meeting that will highlight the latest data and trends regarding antibiotic stewardship, healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) and the role of automated laboratories in reducing medication errors and delivering faster results to clinicians. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in American hospitals alone, healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) account for an estimated 1.7 million infections, and more than 70 percent of HAIs are resistant to at least one antibiotic.* The User Group meeting will be held Tuesday, June 3 at the Westin Waterfront.

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 http://www.biomerieux.com/.

bioMérieux Contacts

Investor Relations

bioMérieux
Isabelle Tongio
Tel: + 33 4 78 87 22 37
investor.relations@eu.biomerieux.com

LT Value
Nancy Levain
Tel: + 33 1 55 27 15 88
nancy.levain@ltvalue.com

Media Relations

bioMérieux
Koren Wolman-Tardy
Tel: + 33 4 78 87 20 08
media@eu.biomerieux.com

Fleishman Hillard
Andrea Moody
Tel: + 1 919 457-0743
andrea.moody@fleishman.com

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

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