April 27, 2007

Meretek Diagnostics has signed a testing services agreement with Pathology Associates Medical Laboratories (PAML) of Spokane, Wash.

Under the agreement, PAML will provide testing services for the company’s BreathTek UBT urea breath test for the bacterium Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori). The test is a  nonradioactive, noninvasive, 95% sensitive, and specific solution to diagnose and monitor treatment of active H. pylori infection, the leading cause of peptic ulcers.

PAML operates a state-of-the-art, full-service reference laboratory and maintains other laboratory operations throughout the western United States. The lab delivers a wide range of testing services to more than 90 hospitals in Washington, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, California, Utah, and Alaska.

The BreathTek UBT is FDA-cleared to confirm that a patient is cured after undergoing antibiotic therapy. Nearly 90% of peptic ulcers are caused by an H. pylori infection.

For more information on the test, visit the company’s Web site.