SARASOTA, FL (November 17, 2014) – RPS Diagnostics (RPS®) – a developer of novel point-of-care diagnostic tests – today announces its third annual partnership for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Get Smart About Antibiotics Week from November 17-23.
Get Smart About Antibiotics Week is a national campaign designed to highlight the coordinated efforts of CDC, state and local health departments, and non-profit and for-profit partners to provide education about the importance of using antibiotics wisely in both community and healthcare settings. This year the observance will be in collaboration with European Antibiotic Awareness Day, Australia’s Antibiotic Awareness Week, and Canada’s Antibiotic Awareness Week.
“RPS is proud to partner with the CDC again to help increase awareness of the antibiotics overuse and over-prescription issues. Medical professionals around the world face similar challenges when it comes to quickly identifying viral and bacterial infections and deciding when to prescribe antibiotics,” said Robert Sambursky, MD, chief executive officer and president of RPS. “This issue is not only a national healthcare epidemic but also a growing global problem. If we don’t work together to address antibiotics overuse, we risk making existing treatments inadequate and contributing to the growing number of antibiotic-resistant bacteria around the world.”
During the 2014 Get Smart About Antibiotics Week, the CDC will host an antibiotic resistance themed Twitter chat on Tuesday, November 18, 2014 from 3-4pm Eastern Time from their Twitter account @CDCgov, using the hashtag #SaveAbx. There will also be a 24-hour global antibiotic resistance themed Twitter chat that day using the hashtag #AntibioticDay with several nations participating.
Today, infections with antibiotic-resistant bacteria have become increasingly common in both healthcare and community settings. As such, patients, healthcare providers, hospital administrators, and policy makers must work together to employ safe and effective strategies for improving antibiotic use. CDC’s Get Smart: Know When Antibiotics Work and Get Smart for Healthcare programs are specifically designed to educate consumers and healthcare providers about the appropriate use of antibiotics.
About RPS
Founded in 2004, RPS Diagnostics (RPS) is an emerging developer, manufacturer, and marketer of rapid point-of-care (POC) diagnostic tests. RPS Diagnostics is a trade name of Rapid Pathogen Screening, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of RPS Diagnostics, Inc. The company’s innovative and patented technology platform facilitates the development of a spectrum of cost-effective tests to support the rapid, in-office diagnosis of patients with infectious diseases and inflammatory conditions. As a result of U.S. government contracts, this platform is also being developed to help detect the body’s immune response to viral and bacterial infections as well as chemical nerve agent blood toxins. RPS tests have high sensitivity and specificity, and can be easily performed by a clinician or their staff without extensive training or additional equipment. Currently available RPS tests include AdenoPlus® to aid in the diagnosis of Adenoviral conjunctivitis (pink eye) and InflammaDry® to aid in the diagnosis of dry eye disease. The FebriDx™ test to assess the clinical significance of an acute febrile respiratory infection and aid the differentiation of viral or bacterial etiology is CE marked and is available in Europe as well as other countries that accept the CE mark. At this time, FebriDx has not been submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for review and has not received FDA clearance. For more information on RPS and its products, visit RPSdetectors.com.
Editor’s note: Dr. Robert Sambursky is available during the month of November for interviews about issues related to the overuse of antibiotics.
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Media contact: Laura Lovejoy • laura@saranova.net • 941.928.9025
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