Molecular Detection Inc. and Palex Medical S.A. Announce Distribution Agreement for Detect-Ready(TM) MRSA Assay in Spain

WAYNE, Pa. and BARCELONA, Spain, July 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Molecular Detection Inc. (MDI), a company developing Detect-Ready assays designed to increase the speed and accuracy of infectious disease diagnosis, and Palex Medical S.A., one of Spain's leading distributors of medical device and diagnostic products to hospitals, today announced that they have entered into an exclusive distribution agreement for MDI's Detect-Ready MRSA assay in Spain. Palex Medical is a leading independent distributor of a wide range of medical products including clinical diagnostics, consumables and specialized surgical tools. The Detect-Ready MRSA assay offers healthcare providers a high-performance MRSA screening test with an unmatched combination of accuracy, speed, flexibility and cost-effectiveness. Palex recently launched the Detect-Ready MRSA assay into the Spanish market.

"Our Detect-Ready MRSA assay offers important advantages to the growing market for MRSA screening, and we are pleased to partner with Palex Medical for distribution to the important Spanish market," said Todd Wallach, CEO of MDI. "Palex has decades of experience as a leading distributor of innovative products to medical centers across Spain. Their reputation for expert customer service and operational excellence, along with their extensive customer network at leading hospitals, will be major assets in driving adoption of our MRSA assay."

Drug-resistant, potentially deadly MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) infections are a growing problem in healthcare facilities around the world. The Detect-Ready MRSA kit is a qualitative real-time PCR (rt-PCR) in vitro diagnostic test for the direct detection of MRSA nasal colonization to aid in the prevention and control of MRSA infections in hospitals and other healthcare settings. The proprietary technology in the Detect-Ready kits provides a unique differential diagnosis engine that produces highly accurate results, minimizing the false positives and false negatives experienced with other MRSA screening kits. Samples for testing are simple to obtain using nasal swabs, and the assay's ready-to-use pre-mixed reagents require only the addition of patient sample to run the test, which provides results in less than three hours.

"Spain is introducing proactive control programs to combat the major problem that MRSA infections pose to health facilities worldwide, and we believe that the combination of accuracy, speed, versatility and cost-effectiveness of the Detect-Ready MRSA assay will contribute to the success of these efforts," said Josep Maria Espinalt, General Manager of Palex Medical S.A. "Our dedicated team of highly skilled professionals is committed to bringing our expertise and infrastructure to help ensure the clinical and commercial success of the Detect-Ready MRSA assay in Spain."

Unlike other testing products that require special handling, Detect-Ready kits are off-the-shelf room temperature-stabilized and require no refrigeration. Detect-Ready kits are compatible with multiple rt-PCR platforms currently found in clinical laboratories, including the Roche LightCycler®, Qiagen Rotor-Gene® and Cepheid SmartCycler®. The flexibility to leverage existing infrastructure and equipment to run Detect-Ready assays eliminates the need for additional hospital capital investment.

The Detect-Ready MRSA assay kit has received the CE mark certification for sale in the European Union. The Detect-Ready MRSA assay is also available in Germany, the UK, Ireland, Switzerland and Austria.

About MRSA

Drug-resistant, potentially deadly MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) infections are a growing problem in healthcare facilities around the world. Patients in hospitals are at increased risk for MRSA infection, which can be spread by medical personnel, medical instruments, or from exposure to bacteria on furniture or other surfaces. The routine invasive medical procedures performed in hospitals also create openings for MRSA to enter the bloodstream. The incidence of MRSA infections has been rising, and some experts estimate that over 60% of hospital-acquired S. aureus infections are now antibiotic-resistant. MRSA infections lead to increased disability and death among hospital patients, and also generate high costs for the institutions and the healthcare system as a whole.

About Molecular Detection

Molecular Detection Inc. (MDI), a US-based company with offices in Wayne, PA, Tunbridge Wells, UK and Jerusalem, Israel, is developing and commercializing a portfolio of "sample-to-answer" Detect-Ready molecular diagnostic tests for the detection of infectious diseases. The company's first product is a ready-to-use rapid detection hospital-based screening test for MRSA. These staph infections represent a growing problem to the healthcare system. Successful MRSA control efforts rely on screening potential carriers to prevent the spread of the disease. The Detect-Ready MRSA test provides increased accuracy, faster time to results and more efficient utilization of hospital resources compared to other MRSA diagnostic products. It is currently available in the UK, Germany, Ireland, Switzerland, Austria and Spain, with additional launches expected in the coming months. MDI's real-time PCR tests are based on novel patent-pending technologies for differential diagnosis and room-temperature stabilization. For more information, visit www.detect-ready.com.

About Palex Medical S.A.

Established in 1955, Palex Medical serves healthcare facilities in Spain and Portugal with a wide range of medical products and services, from exploration gloves to robotic surgical tools. Palex is dedicated to providing support to health professionals with advanced efficient hospital solutions integrating products, systems, technology and health services, through distribution agreements with world-leading manufacturers. Palex has more than 300 employees and has distribution agreements with many market leaders, which in some cases exceed 30 years. For more information, visit www.palexmedical.com/en/index.cfm.

SOURCE Molecular Detection Inc.