Renewed Partnership for Improved Detection of Sepsis Using B•R•A•H•M•S PCT Biomarker

Thermo Fisher and Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics have renewed their non-exclusive, long-term, royalty-bearing agreement for the use of Thermo Fisher’s Procalcitonin (B•R•A•H•M•S PCT™) technology, currently available as an automated immunoassay on the Siemens ADVIA Centaur® XP and CP systems in all countries outside the United States and China. The agreement extends a long-standing relationship between the companies.

ADVIA Centaur® B•R•A•H•M•S PCT™ immunoassay currently offers clinicians an integrated solution for accurately diagnosing sepsis and monitoring response to antibiotic therapy allowing for improved clinical decision making. The ADVIA Centaur® systems have a large global installed base in hospital clinical laboratories.

The PCT biomarker test is the gold standard for the early detection of sepsis in critically ill patients and is recommended to initiate, monitor and discontinue antibiotic treatment in the presence of relevant bacterial infections. Broader availability of PCT testing will lead to improved hospital management and care of patients with sepsis or at high risk of developing it.

“The continuation of our close collaboration with Siemens significantly increases the global reach of this critical biomarker, making it available to a broader patient population,” said Marc Tremblay, president of Thermo Fisher Scientific’s Clinical Diagnostics division. “The key for preventing sepsis is the early diagnosis of infections. Early diagnosis also reduces the health economic burden of sepsis therapy, a medical condition that is still very common today and accounts for hundreds of thousands of deaths each year. Therefore, PCT supports hospitals in optimizing their service levels and cost effectiveness in today’s challenging economic environment.”

The worldwide number of patients affected by sepsis is estimated to be 20 to 30 million annually and claims more lives than bowel and breast cancer combined. Despite advances in modern medicine, including antibiotics and vaccines, sepsis remains the primary cause of death from infection with hospital mortality rates between 30 to 60%. 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 rapid, more reliable 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