BD’s new MRSA test receives US accreditation

BD has been granted US regulatory accreditation for its new MRSA molecular test for the BD Max system.

The test has become the second BD Max assay this year to receive a moderate complexity rating under the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) of 1988, thus allowing it to be performed by qualified lab technicians.

BD's test will allow the life science industry to carry out active surveillance testing for MRSA with greater ease, thanks to the simplified, standardised workflow and the fully automated nature of the BD Max system.

This helps reduce the risk of transmission of the superbug, while also ensuring that unneeded preemptive isolation does not take place.

Tom Polen, president of diagnostic systems at BD, said: "Healthcare institutions can now simplify and optimise their MRSA active surveillance testing in less than a minute of hands-on time per specimen with true walk-away automation."

Earlier this month, the company announced its financial results for the third quarter of its 2012 fiscal year, during which it experienced a 1.5 percent year-on-year increase in quarterly revenue.