BD, a leading global medical technology company, has expanded its BD MAX System platform to include a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test for monkeypox.
Amid the global Monkeypox health emergency, BD, a leading global medical technology company, has partnered with CerTest Biotec to expand its BD MAX System platform to include a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test for monkeypox.
This announcement comes just over a month after the June announcement that BD would be collaborating with CerTest Biotec to respond to the increasing alarm over the spread of monkeypox. Together, the companies validated the CerTest VIASURE Monkeypox test on the already established BD MAX System and brought it to commercialization outside of the U.S. However, the test can only be used for research purposes in its current state.
Nelson Fernandes, CerTest Biotec’s managing director, commented on the expedited turn-around-time for developing a test for monkeypox.
“Speed is of the essence when responding to what the World Health Organization has declared a global health emergency,” he explained. “We hope this new test will boost capacity for monkeypox research, ultimately helping quell the spread of the disease.”
As previously reported by BioSpace, more than 70 countries have been impacted, and cases have jumped 77% from late June to early July, causing the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare monkeypox an international public health emergency.
The availability of this test could improve overall case detection rates and understanding of where and how monkeypox is spreading. Using real-time PCR technology, the BD MAX™ System can test 24 samples for multiple illnesses within the span of three hours. BD has taken full advantage of the capability range for this system, having developed tests for sexually transmitted infections, other respiratory infections, gastrointestinal infections and tests pertaining to women’s health.
Nikos Pavlidis, the vice president of molecular diagnostics at BD, commented on the system’s flexibility and market advantages.
“One of the key advantages of the BD MAX System is its open-architecture system that enables rapid response to emerging health threats,” he said. “Just as we did at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, we partnered with CerTest to quickly develop a molecular test to help better understand and track this disease.”
Just last month, BD celebrated the launch of a combination test for COVID-19, Influenza type A/B and respiratory syncytial virus, using the same BD MAX System. This test is intended to immediately provide answers for physicians who might be uncertain of a diagnosis, given the symptoms common to all three illnesses.
Beyond the success of the BD MAX System, in December 2021, the company announced a separate diagnostic test based partly on its predecessor system, BD COR. That system was designed to handle a much higher volume of testing, and up to 1,700 samples can be loaded and continuously tested for six hours, yielding a potential 1,000 sample results in a 24-hour window. The first diagnostic capabilities of this system include testing for a range of sexually transmitted infections.
As the monkeypox health emergency continues, diagnostic tests are increasing in demand, prompting many companies to strive to bring their testing candidates to U.S. commercialization. Though BD has seen success so far, it will have to keep up that momentum to remain competitive.
