| DURHAM, N.C. (May 15, 2007) — “Empowering Clinical Decisions” by reducing healthcare-associated infections (HAI) is the underlying theme and bioMérieux’s commitment at the 107th American Society for Microbiology (ASM) General Meeting. The industry-leading diagnostics group will bring together its spectrum of innovative technologies for prevention, intervention and surveillance to respond to the needs of healthcare professionals. In addition, the organization will host a panel of experts to discuss HAI related topics at an educational Customer Panel Symposium and in the in-booth Knowledge Forums on the tradeshow floor.
“According to the World Health Organization, approximately $4.5 to $5.7 billion in expenses are generated annually as a result of HAIs1,” said Herb Steward, executive vice president and general manager, bioMérieux North America. “Our mission is to address increasing infection rates by empowering the laboratory with the resources they need to improve the clinical relevance of lab results.”
In the U.S. there are up to two million healthcare-associated infections per year – 80,000 of them are lethal or may contribute to someone’s death2. HAI will remain a permanent threat and a major concern for all healthcare providers. The key reasons are: Patient conditions, more invasive investigations and aggressive treatments and the extensive use of antibiotics.
The bioMérieux Customer Panel Symposium and reception is designed for those who manage and work in the laboratory. bioMérieux developed the Customer Panel Symposium specifically for microbiologists, providing them with the tools they need to run a safe and productive lab. The program will begin with a Global and U.S. Business Update from Herb Steward, followed by a Microbiology Product Update and Clinical Panel Discussion. The clinical panel will be made up of experts including Dr. Andrew Simor, Dr. Blaine Schilling, Dr. Shannon Moroney and Dr. Robert Balk, who will discuss the lab’s impact on reducing HAIs and curbing emerging resistance. Following the clinical panel discussion and Q&A session, customers are invited to attend a special reception, which will be held at the Fairmont York Hotel.
bioMérieux will hold daily in-booth Knowledge Forums, where customers are invited to learn about the latest issues and advances in microbiology. Featuring a variety of industry experts, the Knowledge Forums will present topics on microbiology, molecular diagnostics and clinical solutions. Scheduled topics include “Setting Up Your Molecular Lab,” “Three Contemporary Challenges in Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing,” and “Data-Driven Drug Decisions.” A full schedule of topics and speakers is available at www.biomerieux-usa.com/asm2007.
Also featured at the booth will be two new products, TEMPO® and DiversiLab™. TEMPO is the first automated quality indicator testing system for the food industry. The system offers enumeration of quality indicators, which are vital in determining overall product hygiene. DiversiLab automates the process for tracking the source and spread of microbial infection or contamination. DiversiLab offers faster, more precise solutions that are easier to implement in order to fulfill each step in controlling an outbreak. DiversiLab serves the clinical and industrial markets, tracking hospital-acquired infections (nosocomial) and providing quality control for food safety.
Visit bioMérieux at ASM, May 21-25, 2007 at booth # 709. The 107th General Meeting will take place at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre in Toronto, Canada. For more information, visit www.biomerieux-usa.com/asm2007.
Advancing Diagnostics to Improve Public Health
A world leader in the field of in vitro diagnostics for over 40 years, bioMérieux is present in more than 150 countries through 35 subsidiaries and a large network of distributors. In 2006, revenues reached €1.037 billion with 83% 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 Eurolist by Euronext. For more information, visit www.biomerieux-usa.com.
1 World Health Organization (WHO), 2005.
2 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 2006.
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