bioMérieux: fight against healthcare-associated infections

HAI is now recognized worldwide as a major public health issue affecting at least 7 million people per year, including 1.7 million in the United States and 5 million in Europe. Within the United States, an estimated 99,000 people die annually as a result of HAI, and 50,000 in Europe.

 

These infections require healthcare establishments to implement Infection Control policies to screen patients, manage outbreaks and monitor epidemiology. Diagnostic tests can play a significant role in such Infection Control policies, helping to substantially reduce HAI prevalence and associated costs.

 

With 45 years experience in microbiology and the diagnosis of infectious pathologies, healthcare-associated infection is naturally one of bioMérieux’s six strategic disease areas. 

 

bioMérieux has developed expertise in the areas of microbial culture, detection, identification, antimicrobial resistance testing and blood culture. Its unique offer spans the complete spectrum of diagnostic technologies, from microbiology to immunoassays and molecular biology, including instruments and software development.

 

The company is a pioneer in chromogenic culture media and the leader in identification and antimicrobial resistance testing. It has also developed expert interpretation software for the analysis of antibiotic resistance trends and identification of uncommon resistance mechanisms. This knowledge and experience is essential to successfully challenge healthcare-associated infections, since up to 70% of organisms causing HAI are resistant to at least one antibiotic.

 

In addition to its comprehensive HAI product line, bioMérieux actively drives the fight against HAI by initiating high-level scientific events and agreements to further information exchange and education on this key public health issue.

 

In 2007, bioMérieux organized the 1st World HAI Forum, gathering together some fifty top international experts in the field for two days of intensive debates on the complex issue of healthcare-associated infection. To further promote the exchange of scientific knowledge and the development of a global HAI network, the second edition of this biennial event will take place on June 8-9, 2009, at the Fondation Mérieux Conference Center, near Annecy, France.

In recognition of bioMérieux’s “unparalleled leadership and commitment” and its “pioneering and extensive work” in the field of HAI, Frost & Sullivan, a global growth consulting agency, recently awarded bioMérieux with their 2007 European Technology Leadership Award for Healthcare-Associated Infection Control.

 

In February 2008, bioMérieux signed an agreement with the Chinese Ministry of Health. This agreement involves 9 major Chinese hospitals and focuses on four areas: training, development of Standard Operating Procedures (SOP), intensification of strain typing and development of outcome studies.

bioMérieux organized a scientific symposium in Barcelona on April 20^th during the 2008 European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID). The theme of the Symposium was “The Contribution of In Vitro Diagnostics in Controlling HAI and Microbial Resistance.” Keynote speakers from Europe, the US and Australia addressed issues including screening for ESBL enterobacteriaceae, and rapid diagnosis of Clostridium difficile associated disease (CDAD).

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.