WALTHAM,
Mass. – Thermo Fisher
Scientific, the world leader in serving science, today announced an agreement
with global healthcare provider Abbott Laboratories to make its Procalcitonin
(PCT) assay available with Abbotts immunochemistry analyzers.
The companys Thermo Scientific B.R.A.H.M.S Procalcitonin
(PCT) assay will be available on Abbotts ARCHITECT® “i” and “ci” series of
immunochemistry analyzers. Abbotts high-, medium-, and low-volume integrated
diagnostic testing solutions leverage software, reagents, and sample carrier to
enable labs to standardize lab operations on a single platform. In turn,
laboratories are able to optimize processes, minimize errors and reduce result
variability, an increasingly important consideration as clinicians rely more
heavily on laboratory diagnostics to guide their treatment decisions.
“Earlier diagnosis of sepsis and other healthcare associated
infections can significantly lower healthcare costs and, most important,
improve patient outcomes,” said Ken Berger, senior vice president of Thermo
Fisher Scientifics specialty diagnostics business, “Our agreement with Abbott
makes it possible for more hospitals and laboratories globally to adopt a
proven PCT testing regimen that benefits patients and the entire healthcare
industry.”
Thermo Fisher will manufacture the Abbott ARCHITECT B.R.A.H.M.S
PCT assay and has exclusive distribution rights in relevant European markets.
Severe sepsis strikes more than 750,000 Americans each year,
and between 28 to 50 percent of patients die within the first month of
diagnosis. Hospital costs to treat severe sepsis in the U.S. are
estimated at $16 billion dollars annually. Much of this cost is attributed to
misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis, making faster, more accurate detection a
national, if not global, imperative. Research published in Critical Care
Medicine showed that each hour of delay in therapy can decrease chances of
patient survival by 7.6 percent.
About Thermo Fisher Scientific
Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. is the world leader in serving science. Our
mission is to enable our customers to make the world healthier, cleaner and
safer. With revenues of nearly $11 billion, we have approximately 37,000
employees and serve customers within pharmaceutical and biotech companies,
hospitals and clinical diagnostic labs, universities, research institutions and
government agencies, as well as in environmental and process control
industries. We create value for our key stakeholders through two premier brands,
Thermo Scientific and Fisher Scientific, which offer a unique combination of
continuous technology development and the most convenient purchasing options.
Our products and services help accelerate the pace of scientific discovery, and
solve analytical challenges ranging from complex research to routine testing to
field applications. Visit www.thermofisher.com.
Posted by Sean Fenske, Editor-in-Chief, MDT
