DURHAM, N.C. (November 27, 2007) — bioMérieux, a world leader in the field of in vitro diagnostics, has made major investments in its Durham, N.C. facility as demand for medical testing equipment increases. bioMérieux recently announced an 8.4% rise in sales in North America during the first nine months of 2007, with strong growth in the bacteriological lines. Specifically, sales rose for BacT/ALERT® blood culture bottles, which are used in hospital laboratories and blood banks.
Hospital infection rates continue to rise, accounting for an estimated 1.7 million infections and 99,000 associated deaths each year. Every time blood is drawn from a patient, it is tested in 1-2 blood culture bottles, like bioMérieux’s industry leading BacT/ALERT.
Since 2003, bioMérieux has invested more than $10 million in facility improvements to support growing demand, enhance quality control and improve compliance with federal regulations. The company also has plans to expand the current production line at the Durham site.
“As the market leader, we are committed to growing our microbiology business to accommodate current and future demand for BacT/ALERT blood culture bottles and other diagnostic equipment,” said Marc Mackowiak, CEO, bioMérieux, Inc. “The current state of the healthcare industry has dramatically increased demand for our products and we are seeing 10 percent annual growth in the blood culture market.”
“A guiding principle at bioMérieux is to make positive contributions to every community where our sites are located. We recognize the social, environmental and economic responsibilities we have for the communities where we live and we try to offer contracts to regional vendors to support the local economy,” continued Mackowiak. “To date, one out of every three dollars has gone to North Carolina contractors and vendors for the Durham expansion.”
Facility upgrades have focused on basic process improvements, such as a new HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning), environmental controls, a more efficient water system, automated inspection systems, new reagent fillers and cappers, and an additional autoclave for sterilization.
1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. www.cdc.gov
Advancing Diagnostics to Improve Public Health A world leader in the field of in vitro diagnostics for over 40 years, bioMérieux is present in more than 150 countries through 35 subsidiaries and a large network of distributors. In 2006, revenues reached €1.037 billion with 83% of sales outside of France.
bioMérieux provides diagnostic solutions (reagents, instruments, software), which determine the source of disease and contamination to improve patient health and ensure consumer safety. Our products are used for diagnosing infectious diseases and providing high medical value results for cardiovascular emergencies and cancer screening and monitoring. They are also used for detecting microorganisms in agri-food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic products. bioMérieux is listed on Eurolist by Euronext. For more information, visit www.biomerieux-usa.com.
Media Contact: Paige Sargent, French/West/Vaughan Tel.: 919-277-1162, psargent@fwv-us.com
