Disposable Wipes Receive EPA Approval as Virucidal Against Hepatitis C
When used as directed, Sani-Cloth® Plus and Super Sani-Cloth Germicidal Disposable Wipes kill the Hepatitis C Virus (HCV), the Hepatitis B Virus (HBV), the Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), and the other viruses and bacteria. They are used to disinfect, clean, and deodorize hard, non-porous surfaces in health care settings.

Hepatitis C, a disease of the liver, is the most common chronic blood-borne infection in the United States. Hepatitis C is caused by the HCV, formerly known as non-A non-B hepatitis. Approximately 80% of all persons who have HCV have no signs or symptoms. However, those who do report symptoms cite fatigue, dark urine, abdominal pain, nausea, and more. HCV is spread by contact with the blood of an infected person, through sharing needles, through needlesticks or sharp exposures on the job, or from an infected mother to her baby during birth. Persons at risk for HCV may also be at risk for infection with Hepatitis B Virus or HIV.

Infection transmission of HCV in hospitals and other health care facilities is possible if infection-control techniques or disinfection procedures are inadequate and contaminated equipment is shared among patients.

“Hospitals and critical care areas are highly susceptible to cross-contamination, and both Super Sani-Cloth and Sani-Cloth Plus are presaturated with the correct amount of germicidal solution needed to clean, disinfect, and deodorize hard, nonporous surfaces and outside surfaces of equipment, such as carts, counters, exam tables, and patient-monitoring and diagnostic equipment,” says Jean Fleming, RN, MPM, CIC, infection-control education manager to PDI, the Healthcare Division of Nice-Pak Products Inc.

Sani-Cloth Plus contains 14.85% alcohol and kills RSV in 1 minute; HBV and HIV-1 in 2 minutes; and Mycobacterium bovis (TB), Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), and Vancomycin Resistant Enterococcus faecalis (VRE) in 5 minutes. It has been tested effective against a total of 11 microorganisms. Super Sani-Cloth contains 55% alcohol and kills TB and RSV in 1 minute, HBV and HIV-1 in 2 minute, and MRSA and VRE in 5 minutes. It has been tested effective against a total of 17 microorganisms.

Available in large (6- x 6.75-inch) and extra large (8- x 14-inch) wipe sizes, both Sani-Cloth Plus and Super Sani-Cloth come in 160-count and 65-count, new double-ribbed canisters designed to be strong and to fit into Sani-Bracket®, a special wall and mobile equipment mounting system.

Contact: Professional Disposables International (845) 365-1700; www.pdipdi.com

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Inverness Medical Innovations Acquires ACON Labs, Ends Patent-Litigation Dispute
A patent-litigation dispute between two medical diagnostic companies that had been fought in the United States and Europe for almost 3 years has ended in a win-win for both parties.

Inverness Medical Innovations Inc has agreed to acquire the rapid diagnostics business from ACON Laboratories Inc for $175 million. The deal ends a patent-infringement case brought by Inverness in 2004 over some of ACON’s core rapid test diagnostic technology.

Law firm Morrison & Foerster, which has represented ACON in the underlying patent litigation, also advised the company on its acquisition by Inverness. The firm has represented ACON on corporate and intellectual property matters since the dispute began.

ACON, founded 10 years ago by two brothers, is now one of the world’s leading providers of diagnostic testing kits for consumers, physicians, and medical researchers. The company has its US operations in San Diego. ACON’s lateral flow immunoassay business, which is what Inverness is acquiring, had, in 2005, revenue of $50 million and operating income in excess of $17 million. As part of the announced settlement, Inverness will also acquire ACON’s newly constructed manufacturing facility in Hangzhou, China. That closing will take place later this year.

“This is a tremendous outcome for both companies, one that we have been hoping for ever since the patent litigation commenced several years ago,” says Morrison & Foerster partner David Doyle, who led the firm’s work on the patent case. “This is obviously the biggest single development in ACON’s brief history, and we are pleased that the company has forged a partnership with Inverness to advance its innovative diagnostic capabilities internationally.”

Contact: ACON Labs (858) 535-2030; www.aconlabs.com

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New Lab Procedure to Detect Early Onset of Prostate Cancer Bio-Reference Laboratories Inc has introduced a new lab procedure that can identify and detect the early onset of prostate cancer in some high-risk patients who have had their prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels tested more than once within a year. Bio-Reference worked with Harry Fisch, MD, professor of clinical urology at Columbia University Medical Center/New York Presbyterian Hospital, to create an algorithm based on the company’s proprietary informatics solutions that are often able to identify repeat patients with a rapid rise in their PSA levels within a year, known as “PSA Velocity,” even if the subsequent PSA level is still within the normal range (below 4 ng/dL). PSA is a protein produced by the prostate gland, and PSA levels are tested via a patient’s blood. PSA Velocity may indicate a high probability that a patient has prostate cancer. While the PSA levels may be elevated in benign conditions, such as infections of the prostate (prostatitis) or from prostate enlargement, it may also be elevated in cases of prostate cancer. “We believe that Bio-Reference’s new initiative will provide substantial benefit to its practitioners who routinely run PSA levels on their patients,” says Marc Grodman, MD, president, CEO, and chairman of Bio-Reference Laboratories Inc. “Using our proprietary informatics solutions, our lab is now able to provide better health care and service to physicians and patients nationwide.” Fisch has noted that while PSA levels have been helpful in detecting prostate cancer, their usefulness can be augmented by determining the rate of change over time. “When PSA levels are in the normal range, below 4 ng/dL, we can now better predict which patients are at significant risk of having prostate cancer when we compare PSA levels over the previous year,” Fisch says. “This new PSA Velocity determination adds more specificity and increased accuracy to prostate-cancer screening. An increase in PSA Velocity warrants clinical attention and should not be ignored.” When patients are found to have PSA levels greater than 4 ng/dL, they are usually referred to a urologist for subsequent biopsy. However, in those patients with levels of 4 ng/dl or lower, a substantial rise in the level may be indicative of cancer. On an ongoing basis, Bio-Reference will notify physicians of any identified patients who fall within these high-risk groups, as well as those patients who fall just below the prescribed cutoff values. Contact: Bio-Reference Laboratories Inc (800) 229-5227; www.bioreference.com

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St Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center Receives New Reagents Tm Bioscience Corp has signed an agreement to supply St Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center with Tag-It™ reagents for use in its cystic fibrosis (CF) gene assay. “We selected Tm’s Tag-It™ platform because we were impressed by its performance and flexibility. Tm’s technology has allowed us to develop an assay testing for numerous CF-associated mutations at once in a single well, an extremely time-efficient and cost-effective solution,” says John Stone, director of laboratory services at St Joseph’s. “Because the platform is open and flexible, we ultimately anticipate providing our patients with a broader menu of important genetic tests using Tm reagents.” Located in the heart of Phoenix, St Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center is a 536-bed, not-for-profit hospital that provides a wide range of health, social, and support services, with special advocacy for the poor and underserved. The hospital is part of Catholic Healthcare West (CHW), one of the largest health care systems in the West with 40 hospitals in Arizona, California, and Nevada. “We look forward to working with St Joseph’s Hospital to provide leading-edge medical laboratory services for the state of Arizona,” says Greg Hines, president and CEO of Tm Bioscience. Contact: Tm Bioscience Corp (416) 593-4323; www.tmbioscience.com

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ASCP Acquires Cytology Product Line
The American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) has acquired the cytology product line of the Midwest Institute for Medical Education (MIME), and will immediately offer gynecological cytology proficiency testing, and education approved by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

“We are committed to protecting the public’s health and safety and providing the pathology community with the services they require to comply with existing PT regulations,” says ASCP President Fred H. Rodriguez, Jr, MD, FASCP.

Customers have a choice between ASCP GYN PT™, a proven CMS-approved gynecological cytology-proficiency testing program that leverages the experience of 13,000 individual tests; and ASCP GYN PT and Lab Comparison™, a solution that fulfills all gynecological cytology-proficiency-testing and laboratory-accreditation requirements.

ASCP GYN PT Committee cytology professionals will oversee every aspect of ASCP GYN PT, ensuring the validity of the testing and the quality of the slides. ASCP will work with CMS to revise the current regulations so that they reflect current practice and scientific and psychometric validity.

All slides to be used by ASCP had been field validated by the end of 2005. The ASCP GYN PT Committee will oversee the ongoing field-validation process and will serve as peer reviewers for each new slide.

Contact: ASCP (800) 267-2727; www.ascp.org

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Bayer Announces Global Availability of 12 New Tests on Advia Chemistry System
Bayer HealthCare’s diagnostics division has announced the worldwide availability of Immunoglobulin (Ig) tests of IgA, IgG, and IgM and the worldwide availability of drugs-of-abuse tests on the ADVIA 1200® analyzer—matching Bayer’s total chemistry menu of 78 unique methods on the ADVIA® 1650 and 2400 analyzers.

The three new Ig tests are now available worldwide on the ADVIA 1200. IgG, the main circulating immunoglobulin and the only immunoglobulin that crosses the placenta, can be used to detect chronic liver disease, Grave’s disease, and parasitic diseases. IgA is the second most common immunoglobulin in human serum (after IgG) and can be associated with various disease-related conditions such as Heavy Chain disease, chronic infections, and cirrhosis of the liver. IgM tends to confine within blood vessels and is associated with liver disease, infections, and protein-losing syndromes.

The nine drugs-of-abuse tests available worldwide include cannabinoid (THC), opiate (300 and 2000), benzodiazepine, methadone, phencyclidine, propoxyphene, cocaine, amphetamine, and barbiturate. These can be tested on all three analyzers, which enables any size laboratory to perform initial patient screening for the use of illegal drugs.

Drug abuse is a serious societal and economic concern worldwide. Recent data collected by the United Nations International Drug Control Programme demonstrates the severity of drug abuse globally and estimates that around 8 million people abuse opiates/heroin, mostly in Southeast and Southwest Asia; some 13 million people abuse cocaine worldwide, with the highest prevalence reported in the United States; 141 million people consume cannabis annually, the most widely abused drug in all parts of the world; and 30 million people abuse amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS). High prevalence rates are found in western Europe, Australia, and some Latin American countries.

Bayer Diagnostics’ new, all-liquid assays are designed for quick and effortless testing by laboratory professionals for some of the most common and widely abused illegal substances.

The ADVIA 1200 features a small footprint, which allows it to fit comfortably in a laboratory setting. With the speed of 1,200 tests per hour, the ADVIA 1200 System can keep up with workload requirements whether it is acting as a primary analyzer or as a backup to another system. The system uses the same reagents, calibrators, and controls as the other members of the ADVIA chemistry family and is based on the same proven reliability.

“The availability of DAU and immunoglobulin methods on the ADVIA 1200 offers midsized and specialty laboratories a compact platform with reliable and productive testing capabilities for testing patients. Tests can now be performed on all three leading automated chemistry systems, confirming Bayer’s commitment to the quality of the methods on a common menu across the ADVIA chemistry line of instruments,” says Tom Warekois, senior vice president of global strategic marketing at Bayer HealthCare, Diagnostics Division.

Contact: Bayer HealthCare (914) 524-2712; www.bayerdiag.com

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Luminex Signs Licensing Agreement with MIT to Develop and Commercialize MicroRNA Products
Luminex Corp has signed a licensing agreement with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) for the nonexclusive intellectual-property rights necessary to develop and commercialize microRNA assays and related products. MicroRNAs are a group of small, noncoding, single-stranded portions of RNA molecules that have been implicated as playing a critical role as regulators of developmental timing, neuronal differentiation, cell proliferation, programmed cell death, and fat metabolism. The rights and potential applications cover both the life science research and clinical diagnostics markets.

The intellectual property was developed through a scientific collaboration of three eminent research institutions: Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and The Eli and Edythe L. Broad Institute, a collaboration of MIT, Harvard University, and affiliated hospitals, and Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research (the “Broad Institute”).

Patrick Balthrop, president and CEO of Luminex Corp, says, “The researchers at the Broad Institute published what many consider to be landmark research last year demonstrating the importance of microRNA as it relates to gene and protein expression. This agreement with MIT is an important milestone for Luminex in the commercialization of microRNA assay products. We believe the emerging microRNA field represents a promising new space with significant commercial potential. Moreover, our xMAP® technology is well suited to the midlevel multiplexing requirements of microRNA applications. This further strengthens Luminex’s role in the development of advanced, multiplexed products and solutions for the life sciences marketplace.”

Contact: Luminex Corp (888) 219-8020; www.luminexcorp.com

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Nanogen and Fisher Scientific to Expand Into Molecular Diagnostics Fisher Scientific International Inc has agreed to purchase approximately 5.7 million shares of Nanogen Inc common stock at $2.65 per share. Fisher is a leading provider of products and services for the scientific and clinical laboratory markets. Nanogen will use the proceeds from the sale for working capital, acquisitions, and other general corporate purposes. The investment in Nanogen coincides with Fisher’s purchase of Athena Diagnostics Inc, a leading developer and provider of proprietary molecular diagnostic and immunodiagnostic tests and services. Nanogen and Fisher will collaborate to expand the use of Athena’s proprietary markers and diagnostic assays. “We are very pleased to initiate this relationship with Fisher,” says Howard C. Birndorf, chairman and CEO of Nanogen. “Fisher shares our vision of developing diagnostic technologies and products for personalized medicine. This is yet another indication that molecular diagnostics for personalized health care is gaining momentum and being adopted by mainstream diagnostic laboratories.” Contact: Nanogen Inc (877) 626-6436; www.nanogen.com

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Kreatech Releases Isolation and Labeling Kit
Kreatech Biotechnology is pleased to announce the release of the latest in a line of labeling kits for small RNA/miRNA analysis applications and the first complete kit for miRNA isolation and labeling: the miRacULS miRNA isolation and labeling kit.

The kit combines the upstream isolation of the small RNA from tissue or cultured cells and the reagents necessary to label these samples for DNA microarray analysis, thereby offering a more complete solution to scientists carrying out miRNA analysis. The miRacULS miRNA isolation and labeling kit is available with the ULS™ labeling molecule bound to Cy3 and Cy5 dyes licensed from GE Healthcare.

The discovery of small RNAs that have regulatory effects on gene expression has encouraged researchers to further elucidate and characterize the function of these molecules in molecular processes and as possible tools in drug discovery. One common way to examine these small RNAs, either siRNAs or miRNAs, is to analyze them on a microarray. Due to their small size, these RNA molecules prove difficult to label via the enzymatic reactions common to NHS-ester chemistry. Since the ULS labeling technology is a nonenzymatic labeling reaction with labeling efficiency completely independent of fragment size, ULS has a unique advantage in that it can just as easily and efficiently label small RNA molecules as it does all nucleic acids.

The miRacULS miRNA isolation and labeling kit provides a rapid solution to isolate and label miRNAs as well as siRNAs. A 30-minute column-based isolation is followed by a one-step, 15-minute, direct labeling without the need for enzymes. This kit also includes the proprietary KREApure purification columns. These columns were developed to specifically remove unreacted ULS reagent from the labeling reaction. The KREApure columns have no affinity for nucleic acids; and for this reason, the recovery is extremely high as fragments of all sizes flow through, making it ideal for work with miRNA samples.

KREATECH’s ULS technology relies on the special binding properties of platinum to form coordinative bonds with biomolecules by binding to specific sites on DNA, RNA, and proteins. In this way, ULS acts as relatively simple “molecular glue” for DNA, RNA, and proteins.

Contact: Kreatech Biotechnology 31 20 691 91 81; www.kreatech.com

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Glycemic Control Reduces Hospital Costs For Critically Ill Patients
LifeScan Inc has published a new analysis that demonstrates that tight glycemic control reduces by 27% the total cost of care per patient in the intensive care unit (ICU).

Daniel Hillman, PhD, professor of pharmacy practice at Creighton University School of Pharmacy and Health Professions, conducted the posthoc pharmacoeconomic analysis of a landmark study published in 2001 in The New England Journal of Medicine by Greet Van den Berghe, PhD. The analysis illustrated how tight glycemic control, or intensive insulin therapy, reduced the costs of patient care versus treatment by conventional protocols.

This financial analysis revealed a per-patient savings of $3,191, based on an exchange rate of $1 = 1.2. “This makes tight glycemic control one of the most cost-effective medical interventions in decades,” Hilleman said at the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) Annual Meeting last month. He spoke on behalf of LifeScan, which funded the analysis. “The clinical impact of tight glycemic control is staggering, but the financial impact is just as impressive.”

Hillman’s analysis demonstrated savings in several areas. ICU costs were reduced by $2,427 per patient due to shorter stays. Antibiotic costs were lowered by $203. And blood-transfusion costs were lessened by $187 per patient.

The original study, authored by Van den Berghe and published in September 2001, was a large, randomized, clinical trial that compared clinical outcomes in two groups of critically ill patients. The control group was treated with the conventional insulin-therapy protocols, while the study group was treated with an intensive insulin-therapy protocol that required intravenous insulin treatment and the maintenance of the patient’s blood-glucose levels at between 80 and 110 mg/dL.

“Tight glycemic-control protocols have the potential to save millions of lives while saving the healthcare system millions of dollars at the same time,” says Glenn Johnson, vice president of advanced care group and strategic accounts at LifeScan. “It is rapidly becoming the new standard of care for ICU and CCU patients.”

Contact: LifeScan Inc (408) 263-9789; www.lifescan.com

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ASCP Establishes National Student Honor Award In another effort to recognize future laboratory professionals and to make others aware of the contributions of laboratorians, the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) has established the National Student Honor Award to recognize excellent students in the laboratory professions. Applicants must be ASCP members; have junior or senior standing in an accredited MT, CT, or HTL program, second-year standing in an MLT program, or be enrolled in an HT program; earn a minimum GPA of 3.3 on a 4.0 scale (HT excepted); and perform community service and leadership activities. Honor-award certificates were mailed in April to program directors for presentation to the student at the university or hospital honors convocation or graduation. Application forms can be downloaded from ASCP’s Web site. Contact: ASCP (800) 621-4142; www.ascp.org

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QIAGEN’s Avian Flu Products Adopted in Major Testing Centers
QIAGEN NV has announced that its broad portfolio of avian flu (H5N1) detection and surveillance products has been rapidly adopted by major testing centers worldwide.

Through a survey conducted at year-end 2005, QIAGEN established that more than 80 institutions are now using QIAGEN preanalytical products and test kits as standard tools in their surveillance programs. QIAGEN believes that this represents a significant majority of all institutions involved in the global monitoring of this virus, which makes QIAGEN the leading provider of molecular assays and preanalytical and assay components for the detection of the avian flu virus.

Tests to detect the H5N1 virus using QIAGEN tools are highly specific, sensitive, and fast. Subject to local regulatory requirements, they address both human and veterinary applications. The assays are based on real-time PCR, and they detect H5 and H5N1 viruses within 75 minutes with very high analytical sensitivity.

“As the incidence of H5N1 begins to spread to more and more countries, it is increasingly important that tools are available to detect and monitor the virus quickly and efficiently. Our product portfolio for avian flu has been swiftly developed and deployed in response to this global threat,” says Peer M. Schatz, QIAGEN’s CEO. “In 2003, our Hamburg team was also the first to launch a molecular assay for SARS. This is a further example of how QIAGEN’s technology leadership in solutions for pathogen testing has allowed us to act so rapidly and has a direct and significant impact in addressing this pandemic threat.”

Contact: QIAGEN (661) 702-3000; www.qiagen.com

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Euroimmun AG Establishes US Subsidiary
Euroimmun AG, a worldwide market leader in autoimmune and infectious-disease test systems, announced the recent establishment of its US subsidiary, EUROIMMUN US.

Located in northern New Jersey, the EUROIMMUN US headquarters will initially focus on sales, marketing, and distribution of the EUROIMMUN product line. The US facility will also include a customer-training center and allow for future expansion.

The US Management team has extensive business and technical experience in the diagnostic industry with particular emphasis on autoimmune and infectious disease areas.
EUROIMMUN US will participate in industry trade shows to showcase and demonstrate its products to the US market.

Contact: Euroimmun US (800) 913-2022

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New Monoclonal Antibody Identifies Potential Marker of Epithelial Cells
Beckman Coulter has introduced the IOTest® CD136 (RON)-PE conjugated monoclonal antibody for the identification of a receptor protein kinase potentially involved in tumor development and growth. The CD136 antigen is the product of the recepteur d’origine nantais (RON) gene, and it is mainly expressed on cells of epithelial origin. The RON receptor belongs to a group of kinases that play important regulatory roles in normal tissue and can also be involved in cellular disorganization and alteration when overexpressed or mutated.

The new CD136 (RON) antibody from Beckman Coulter will be valuable in a range of basic and clinical research, and it is used in a number of recent and current cancer studies. It will also be useful in pharmaceutical research on therapies designed to block the tumorigenic process. The preformulated, standardized IOTest CD136 (RON)-PE monoclonal antibody is provided in 100-test vials and is the only directly conjugated monoclonal antibody on the market. It can be used to assess RON expression on both normal and abnormal epithelial cells, and it recognizes proRON, RON, and the three known RON variants.

“This antigen marker is very important for the study of epithelial tumors,” says Michel Pagniez, cellular analysis product manager for Beckman Coulter. “The successful blocking of this kinase could result in efficient cancer therapies.”

CD136 (RON)-PE is approved for research use only.

Contact: Beckman Coulter (800) 526-3821; www.beckmancoulter.com

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ARUP Labs Receives National Psychologically Healthy Workplace Award
ARUP Laboratories has been named a winner of the American Psychological Association’s (APA) 2006 National Psychologically Healthy Workplace Award. The Utah-based organization was named the winner in the large for-profit category.

The award is given to organizations that implement a comprehensive array of workplace practices that foster employee health and well-being while enhancing organizational performance. Nominees were evaluated in the areas of employee involvement; health and safety; employee growth and development; work-life balance; and employee recognition, all components of a psychologically healthy workplace.

ARUP engages its employees in a variety of ways, from surveys, suggestion boxes, and an official open-door policy, to town hall meetings and “brown bag” lunches where executives answer employees’ questions. ARUP’s Continuous Quality Improvement Program encourages employees to contribute to teams charged with addressing quality issues affecting both internal and external customers.

ARUP’s free on-site health clinic is just one example of the company’s emphasis on employee health and well-being. Open 6 days per week, the clinic provides employees and their families with health care services that range from preventive to urgent care. ARUP also provides a free 24-hour wellness center that offers the benefits of a full-service fitness center, including convenient “mini exercise classes” during breaks as well as formal courses on topics such as strength training, tai chi, yoga, cancer prevention, weight management, smoking cessation, and healthy eating habits.

To help employees broaden their professional knowledge, ARUP’s Institute for Learning (IFL) partners with the University of Utah’s Department of Pathology to offer a broad range of continuing-education opportunities, including lectures, conferences, professional publications, on-site training, and academic fellowships. Regardless of their role within ARUP, employees can use the IFL’s career-counseling resources to help them customize their individual career paths and design a sound strategy for developing competencies and moving up in the organization.

ARUP offers a variety of flexible job schedules along with a number of innovative benefits, including free lab testing for employees’ families and pets, supplemental newborn screening, a lactation room for nursing mothers, pet insurance, and personalized financial counseling.

ARUP regularly presents awards for both individual and team performance and service recognition, and reinforces the company’s emphasis on health and well-being with its monthly “Dr Kjeldsberg Award,” given to an employee who has made a significant healthy lifestyle change.

According to ARUP’s CEO and chairman of the board, Carl R. Kjeldsberg, MD, “ARUP recognizes that if our employees are to exhibit a caring attitude and strong commitment to patients and physicians, ARUP needs to set an example by showing a caring and respectful attitude to our employees.”

For ARUP, treating its employees well has paid off. High morale, improved health and well-being, and employee satisfaction have translated to low absenteeism and increased productivity. Additionally, ARUP’s employee-turnover rate is only 14%, which falls in the bottom quartile for the lab industry. In a recent survey, a majority of employees cited ARUP’s benefits package as a strong influence on their decision to join and remain with the company.

“We believe that creating a flexible, healthy workplace is not just the right thing to do for our employees’ well-being, it’s also the right thing to do for the organization’s well-being,” comments ARUP’s president and COO, Ronald L. Weiss, MD, MBA. He says that the programs ARUP has implemented have provided a win-win situation at ARUP.

“In today’s challenging business environment, organizations are looking for the competitive advantage that will give them an edge in the marketplace and help them exceed their customers’ expectations,” says Russ Newman, PhD, JD, APA’s executive director for professional practice. “ARUP Laboratories’ low absenteeism and increased productivity demonstrate that employee health, well-being, and organizational performance are inextricably linked.”

More information about the National PHWA winners and Best Practices Honorees is available at http://apahelpcenter.mediaroom.com. Companies interested in learning more about creating a psychologically healthy workplace or applying for an award in their state, province, or territory can visit www.phwa.org.

Contact: ARUP Labs (800) 522-2787; www.aruplab.com

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TREK Receives FDA Clearance for Pyrazinamide
TREK Diagnostic Systems has received clearance from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for pyrazinamide (PZA), an antitubercular-susceptibility agent that aids in the fight against tuberculosis.

PZA, a component of a multi-regimen treatment used for tuberculosis, is available in addition to TREK’s other antimicrobial agents, including rifampin, isoniazid, and ethambutol. The VersaTREK® automated microbial-detection system now offers a full line of primary mycobacterium tuberculosius drugs with rapid, reliable, qualitative, and easy-to-interpret results.

The VersaTREK automated microbial-detection system is the only automated blood-culture microbial-detection system to offer detection of microorganisms from blood, sterile body fluids, Mycobacteria, and Mycobacterium tuberculosis susceptibility testing on a single instrument platform.

“Rapid detection of M. tuberculosis and subsequent antibiotic susceptibility results are critical for effective patient management. The inclusion of PZA to the VersaTREK system’s antitubercular-susceptibility products will allow technologists to test a comprehensive line of primary Mycobacterium tuberculosis antimicrobials,” says DeAna Paustian, product manager for the VersaTREK product line. “The versatility of the VersaTREK system allows laboratories to detect Mycobacterium and perform antibiotic susceptibility on the same instrument.”

Contact: TREK Diagnostic Systems (800) 871- 8909; www.trekds.com