05/23/06
bioMérieux has announced an agreement with the Alliance for the Prudent Use of Antibiotics (APUA®) to research the implications of antibiotic resistance. bioMérieux has committed a sizeable unrestricted education grant to support APUA in an independent research and educational project entitled, “Measuring the Economic Burden of Drug Resistance in the US.”
This research project is expected to produce an in-depth analysis of the burden of resistant infections in US hospitals and encourage cost-effective interventions to control the problem. The bioMérieux grant will support APUA in establishing a think tank of national and international experts from the fields of microbiology, clinical medicine and economics. Their findings will be offered for publication in peer-reviewed journals and serve as policy guidance for legislators, provider groups, and HMOs.
“We are pleased to partner with bioMérieux on this research project as we strive to document the cost of drug-resistant infections in the US and to explore measures needed to improve antibiotic use,” says Stuart B. Levy, MD, president, APUA, and professor of molecular biology and microbiology at Tufts University School of Medicine.
“As a leader in the diagnostic industry, bioMérieux has a duty to promote responsible antibiotic utilization, as it directly impacts good patient care. This issue is even more critical today given the numerous pilot programs that link reimbursement and quality measures, such as programs like Pay for Performance. We feel that microbiology data are a critical component in better patient management and we are pleased to offer our support to such an outstanding organization as the APUA,” continues says Eric Bouvier, president and CEO, bioMérieux North America.
