Viracor Eurofins offers first commercially available letermovir genotypic sequencing test to help healthcare professionals manage CMV

LEE'S SUMMIT, Mo., /PRNewswire/ -- Viracor Eurofins announced the addition of a new cytomegalovirus (CMV) gene sequencing assay for resistance to letermovir, the most recent FDA-approved CMV antiviral for use in adult Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant (HSCT) patients. While there has been no resistance identified in treatment-naive patients, clinical trials have shown resistance can develop in UL56 after exposure for some HSCT patients. Laboratory testing is recommended to quickly confirm the occurrence of resistance, as treatment modification based solely on clinical suspicion may result in added toxicity and increased time and complexity in patient management, if resistance is present in the patient.

CMV is a common virus that affects more than half of adults by the age of 40 years, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While a healthy immune system is able to defend against CMV reactivation, CMV infections are a major cause of morbidity and mortality among immunocompromised and transplant patients. Viracor's CMV drug resistance testing options equip healthcare providers with critical information when patients fail to respond to antivirals during prophylaxis or treatment.

The newest assay, CMV Resistance: Letermovir, became available in May 2018 as a standalone test, or as a complete panel with the other CMV drugs as CMV Resistance: Letermovir, Ganciclovir, Foscarnet, Cidofovir. Viracor also offers a CMV resistance test for UL54 and UL97, for ganciclovir, foscarnet and cidofovir.

These new assays add to Viracor's menu of CMV testing options that help physicians across the continuum of care for immunocompromised patients with CMV. This includes PCR testing designed with dual gene targets to reduce false negative results, and a T Cell immunity Panel that was launched in 2017. Viracor's CMV T Cell Immunity Panel uniquely evaluates CD4 and CD8 cells, with fast result turnaround time. Both CD4 and CD8 T cell responses are vital components of CMV immune control. Unlike many laboratories that are limited in the types of specimens they can process for testing, Viracor has validated and accepts 19 different specimen types for CMV Quantitative PCR testing, giving healthcare providers more options in complex or difficult cases.

Please visit the Viracor website for more information on CMV Resistance: Letermovir, Ganciclovir, Foscarnet, Cidofovir, CMV Quantitative Real-time PCR, CMV T-Cell Immunity Panel, and Viracor's accepted specimen types.

About Viracor Eurofins
With over 30 years of specialized expertise in infectious disease, immunology and allergy testing for immunocompromised and critical patients, Viracor Eurofins is committed to helping medical professionals, transplant teams, reference laboratories and biopharmaceutical companies get results faster, when it matters most. Viracor is passionate about delivering value to its clients by providing timely, actionable information, never losing sight of the connection between the testing it performs and the patients it ultimately serves.

Viracor is a 100 percent subsidiary of Eurofins Scientific (EUFI.PA), the global leader in bio-analytical testing, and one of the world leaders in genomic services. For more information, please visit www.eurofins.com and www.viracor-eurofins.com.

About Eurofins - a global leader in bio-analysis
Eurofins Scientific through its subsidiaries (hereinafter sometimes "Eurofins" or "the Group") believes it is a scientific leader in food, environment and pharmaceutical products testing and in agroscience CRO services. It is also one of the independent market leaders in certain testing and laboratory services for genomics, discovery pharmacology, forensics, CDMO, advanced material sciences and for supporting clinical studies. In addition, Eurofins is one of the emerging players in specialty clinical diagnostic testing in Europe and the USA. With over 38,000 staff in more than 400 laboratories across 44 countries, Eurofins offers a portfolio of over 150,000 analytical methods for evaluating the safety, identity, composition, authenticity, origin and purity of biological substances and products, as well as for innovative clinical diagnostic. The Group objective is to provide its customers with high-quality services, accurate results on time and expert advice by its highly qualified staff.

Eurofins is committed to pursuing its dynamic growth strategy by expanding both its technology portfolio and its geographic reach. Through R&D and acquisitions, the Group draws on the latest developments in the field of biotechnology and analytical chemistry to offer its clients unique analytical solutions and the most comprehensive range of testing methods.

As one of the most innovative and quality oriented international players in its industry, Eurofins is ideally positioned to support its clients' increasingly stringent quality and safety standards and the expanding demands of regulatory authorities around the world.

The shares of Eurofins Scientific are listed on the Euronext Paris Stock Exchange (ISIN FR0000038259, Reuters EUFI.PA, Bloomberg ERF FP).

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SOURCE Viracor Eurofins