Avisa’s Biomarker Breath Test Detects Tuberculosis In South Africa Pilot Study

SANTA FE, N.M.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Avisa Pharma Inc. announced today that it successfully detected active TB in a pilot study in Durban, South Africa. The study had three cohorts, suspected TB subjects who were HIV negative, suspected TB subjects who were HIV positive and controls. The AV-BreathTest™ detected TB in both HIV+ and HIV- cohorts confirmed by PCR and standard TB culture. The AV-BreathTest™ measures the whole lung, in vivo, does not require sputum, and is point-of-care. The time from test initiation to result is less than 10 minutes, and the breath test has the potential to monitor antibiotic therapy. There are 9.5 million active TB cases worldwide, of which 1 million are children who have difficulty producing sputum and require traditional tests with more invasive procedures.