NORTHBROOK, Ill., March 25, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Nanosphere, Inc. (Nasdaq:NSPH), a company enhancing medicine through targeted molecular diagnostics, and Scripps Health, a private, nonprofit, integrated health system in San Diego, California, today announced publication of a study that demonstrates the clinical and economic impact of implementing rapid sepsis diagnostic testing with the Company’s FDA-cleared Verigene® Gram-Positive Blood Culture Test (BC-GP) in combination with Antimicrobial Stewardship Team (AST) intervention.
This multi-center, pre-post study was conducted at the five hospitals that compose Scripps Health in San Diego, California and published in the peer-reviewed journal Pharmacotherapy.
“The overall goal of antibiotic stewardship is to maximize patient outcomes while minimizing the unintended consequences of antibiotic use,” said Maggie Box, PharmD, BCPS-ID, Infectious Disease Clinical Pharmacy Specialist at Scripps Health. “Our study concluded that implementation of Verigene BC-GP with AST intervention can improve time to targeted antibiotic therapy, decrease length of stay, and reduce overall hospital costs in a community-based health care system. By improving time to targeted therapy, rapid diagnostics can help decrease use of unnecessary broad-spectrum antibiotic therapy. By doing this, we hope to decrease a patient’s chance of experiencing an adverse consequence of antibiotic therapy and also minimize the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.”
The statistically significant findings included a 25.7 hour reduction in time to targeted therapy (61.1 versus 35.4 hours), a 1.9 day median reduction in length of stay (9.1 versus 7.2 days) and $7,240 reduction in median hospital costs per patient ($17,530 versus $10,290).
“A majority of health care in the U.S. is provided in community-based hospitals. These study findings demonstrate the profound impact on patient care and hospital costs the Verigene System can deliver to a wide spectrum of health care settings,” said Michael McGarrity, Nanosphere’s president and chief executive officer.
The manuscript, published under the title “Outcomes of Rapid Identification for Gram Positive Bacteremia in Combination with Antibiotic Stewardship at a Community Based Hospital System,” was composed by Maggix Box, PharmD, Eva Sullivan, PharmD, Kristine Ortwine, MPH, Mark Parmenter, PharmD, Michael Quigley, MD, Louise Aguilar-Higgins, CLS, MT, Cynthia MacIntosh, CLS, Kristina Goerke, CLS, and Rachael Lim, PharmD.
Pharmacotherapy: The Journal of Human Pharmacology and Drug Therapy, is the official journal of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy. Pharmacotherapy publishes peer-reviewed, innovative scientific and professional information and knowledge that catalyze change to improve patient outcomes through optimal pharmacotherapy.
About Nanosphere, Inc.
Nanosphere is enhancing medicine through targeted molecular diagnostics that result in earlier disease detection, optimal patient treatment and improved healthcare economics. The Company’s versatile technology platform, the Verigene® System, enables clinicians to rapidly detect the most complex, costly and deadly infectious diseases through a low cost and simple-to-use multiplexed diagnostic test. The combination of this innovative technology and Nanosphere’s customer-driven solutions keeps commitment to the patient at the forefront of its business. Nanosphere is based in Northbrook, IL. Additional information is available at http://www.nanosphere.us.
About Scripps Health
Founded in 1924 by philanthropist Ellen Browning Scripps, Scripps Health is a nonprofit integrated health system based in San Diego, California. Scripps treats a half-million patients annually through the dedication of 2,600 affiliated physicians and 13,750 employees among its five acute-care hospital campuses, hospice, and home health care services, and an ambulatory care network of physician offices and 25 outpatient centers and clinics.
Recognized as a leader in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disease, Scripps is also at the forefront of clinical research, genomic medicine and wireless health care. With three highly respected graduate medical education programs, Scripps is a longstanding member of the Association of American Medical Colleges. In 2014, Truven Health Analytics named Scripps one of the top five large health systems in the nation for the third year, and Scripps hospitals are consistently ranked by U.S. News & World Report among the nation’s best. Scripps is regularly recognized by Fortune, Working Mother magazine and AARP as one of the best places in the nation to work. More information can be found at http://www.scripps.org.
CONTACT: Investors: Ann Wallin, Interim Chief Financial Officer 847-400-9181 awallin@nanosphere.us Michael Rice, LifeSci Advisors 646-597-6979 mrice@lifesciadvisors.com Media: Zachary Crowther, Director of Marketing 847-400-9074 zcrowther@nanosphere.us Scripps Health Contact Media: Kristin Reinhardt 619-565-7038 Reinhardt.Kristin@scrippshealth.org
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