Molecular Detection Inc (MDI), a company developing Detect-Ready™ tests designed to increase the speed and accuracy of infectious disease diagnosis, and life sciences and diagnostics distributor Westburg BV have entered into an exclusive agreement for distribution of MDI’s Detect-Ready MRSA panel in the Benelux region. The Detect-Ready panel offers healthcare providers a high-performance MRSA screening test with a combination of accuracy, speed, flexibility, and cost-effectiveness. This new agreement adds to MDI’s growing global network of leading distribution partners.

“This agreement with Westburg extends our strategy of partnering our Detect-Ready MRSA test with major distributors in key territories around the globe,” David Wilson, MDI’s vice president for commercial operations, Europe, said. “Westburg’s record of providing high-quality scientific products to a growing number of end-user markets and their commitment to exceptional customer service will support acceptance of the Detect-Ready panel in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg. We anticipate launch in the Benelux region shortly, at which time our Detect-Ready MRSA panel will be available in 10 markets worldwide.”

Separately, MDI announced that its Detect-Ready test has been renamed the Detect-Ready MRSA panel in recognition of the fact that it is now CE-marked in the European Union for the detection of MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), methicillin-sensitive S. aureus (MSSA), methicillin-resistant non-S. aureus, and mixed samples, which are frequently encountered in actual clinical practice. MSSA refers to S. aureus infections that can be treated with standard antibiotics. Both MRSA and MSSA infections pose a growing problem to healthcare facilities and their patients. A screening test that distinguishes the two types of infections is particularly important for physicians making treatment decisions in the hospital setting, where these infections are most likely to be serious and potentially lethal.

The Detect-Ready MRSA kit is a qualitative real-time PCR (rt-PCR) in vitro diagnostic test for the direct detection of MRSA, MSSA, and methicillin-resistant non-S. aureus nasal colonization to aid in the prevention and control of these infections in hospitals and other healthcare settings. The proprietary technology in the Detect-Ready kit provides a unique differential diagnosis engine that produces highly accurate results, minimizing the false positives and false negatives experienced with other screening kits. Samples for testing are simple to obtain using nasal swabs and the kit’s ready-to-use, pre-mixed reagents require only the addition of patient sample to run the test, which provides results in less than three hours.

Unlike other testing products that require special handling, Detect-Ready kits are off-the-shelf room temperature-stabilized and require no refrigeration. Detect-Ready kits are compatible with multiple rt-PCR platforms currently found in clinical laboratories, including the Roche LightCycler®, Qiagen Rotor-Gene®, and Cepheid SmartCycler®. The flexibility to leverage existing infrastructure and equipment to run Detect-Ready panels eliminates the need for additional hospital capital investment.

The Detect-Ready MRSA panel has received the CE mark certification for sales in the European Union. It is currently available in the UK, Germany, Ireland, Switzerland, Spain, Austria, and Australia.

Source: Molecular Detection Inc