BioMerieux highlights success of lab automation alliance with Copan

BioMerieux has announced details of the first commercial success resulting from its alliance with Copan, a manufacturer of pre-analytic solutions.

Formed in January 2015, the collaboration focuses on the distribution and co-development of solutions in microbiology laboratory automation and efficiency, and has been well-received so far by labs in the US and Europe.

Underlining this, BioMerieux was recently chosen by the Hospices Civils de Lyon to help automate its principal microbiology lab, consolidating the laboratory activities of three hospitals into a single lab.

This new unified lab will manage more than 1,200 bacteriological samples each day, with BioMerieux to act as a key partner for its spatial and functional organisation, as well as providing instruments.

Alexandre Merieux, chief executive officer of BioMerieux, said: "This commercial offering is part of our innovation strategy to further strengthen lab efficiency and productivity, as well as the medical value of in vitro diagnostics."

Based on the success of the first year of their partnership, BioMerieux and Copan are now planning to deploy the distribution agreement of this offer internationally.