Abbott Introduces the Next Generation of Influenza A & B and Strep A Assays with Fastest-Ever Time to Molecular Results
ABBOTT PARK, Ill.,
The enhanced Influenza A & B 2 assay offers the fastest point-of-care molecular detection and differentiation of influenza A and B virus available – in 13 minutes or less, with early call out of positive results in as little as five minutes – and allows for room temperature storage of all test components, simplifying and streamlining test ordering and storage.
The Strep A 2 provides molecular detection of Group A Streptococcus bacterial nucleic acid, the primary cause of bacterial pharyngitis (sore throat), more than twice as rapidly as other available molecular tests – in six minutes or less, with call out of positive results as early as two minutes – with no culture confirmation required for negative results.
"These Influenza A & B 2 and Strep A 2 assays combine speed with efficacy for rapid delivery of molecular results, further driving value for healthcare systems where time equals money," said
"The ability to obtain early call outs for positive test results with molecular accuracy in as little as five minutes for influenza and two minutes for Strep A is a game-changing development that allows prompt treatment decisions at the point of care," said
The new assays are available in a broad range of outpatient and inpatient settings where patients are increasingly accessing healthcare services, including emergency rooms, physician offices, walk-in clinics and urgent care centers. Such assays help healthcare providers to make fast, informed diagnosis possible, and linkage to appropriate treatment, during a single patient visit.
ABOUT THE ID NOW (FORMERLY ALERE I) MOLECULAR PLATFORM
ID NOW, the first CLIA-waived point-of-care molecular platform, is a rapid, instrument-based, isothermal system for the qualitative detection of infectious diseases. Abbott's unique ID NOW isothermal nucleic acid amplification technology provides molecular results in just minutes, allowing clinicians to make effective clinical decisions during a patient visit. The initial Influenza A & B and Strep A assays for the ID NOW platform were cleared in 2014 and 2015, respectively. The third assay on the platform, for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), was cleared in 2016. Abbott expects to offer ID NOW assays this fall for use with both existing Alere i instruments and new ID NOW instruments.
ABOUT INFLUENZA
Each year, a combination of influenza A and B virus strains circulate within
ABOUT PHARYNGITIS
Pharyngitis, or inflammation of the pharynx causing sore throat, is diagnosed in 11 million patients in U.S. emergency departments and ambulatory settings annually.6 Group A streptococcus (GAS) is the most common bacterial cause of acute pharyngitis, accounting for 15 to 30 percent of cases in children and 5 to 20 percent of cases in adults.7 GAS is easily and frequently spread among families and other close contacts via respiratory secretions, and infection peaks in the late winter and early spring.8
ABOUT ABBOTT
At Abbott, we're committed to helping people live their best possible life through the power of health. For more than 125 years, we've brought new products and technologies to the world – in nutrition, diagnostics, medical devices and branded generic pharmaceuticals – that create more possibilities for more people at all stages of life. Today, 99,000 of us are working to help people live not just longer, but better, in the more than 150 countries we serve.
Connect with us at www.abbott.com, on
1. Influenza A&B 2 assay cleared by the
2. Strep A 2 assay cleared by the
3. Influenza A&B rapid molecular test time-to-results in markets where assays cleared. Based on package inserts or other company-produced material in public domain (
4. Group A Streptococcus bacterial nucleic acid rapid molecular test time-to-results in markets where assays cleared. Based on package inserts or other company-produced material in public domain (
5.
6. Hing E, Cherry DK, Woodwell DA.
7. Bisno AL, Gerber MA, Gwaltney JM Jr, Kaplan EL, Schwartz RH, for the
8. Danchin MH, Rogers S, Kelpie L, et al. Burden of acute sore throat and group A streptococcal pharyngitis in school-aged children and their families in Australia. Pediatrics. 2007;120(5):950–957.
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SOURCE Abbott
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