BioMerieux’s Ebola test deemed eligible for WHO procurement

BioMerieux has announced that its FilmArray Ebola test has been deemed eligible for World Health Organization (WHO) procurement.

The test has received Emergency Use Assessment and Listing (EUAL) status from the WHO and is intended for use on patients with signs and symptoms of Ebola virus infection in conjunction with epidemiological risk factors.

It was awarded the EUAL after an assessment by the WHO showed it enables a simple, fast and reliable diagnosis of the Zaire Ebola virus involved in the current epidemic. The test uses a nucleic acid amplification assay to detect viral RNA and is run on the BioFire FilmArray system.

The FilmArray Ebola test is a product of the company's BioFire Defense division, which received a Global New Product Innovation Award for the test from Frost and Sullivan earlier this year.

Kirk Ririe, chief executive officer of BioFire Defense, said: "The rapid turnaround time, reliability and ease of use of FilmArray will certainly be a great help to healthcare professionals for the diagnosis of Ebola in this unprecedented outbreak."