The France-based BioMerieux, a Merieux Alliance Group company and a world leader in in-vitro diagnostics, in collaboration with the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR), New Delhi, is working on a new diagnostics test applied in basic healthcare centres to identify the occurrence of tuberculosis (TB). It is being compared with the tests currently available in India.
The partners have initiated tests in five leading health institutions in the country including the Hyderabad-based NIMS. The team comprising clinicians and medical biologists are evaluating the effectiveness of the test.
The company provides diagnostics solutions in the Asian region including countries such as China, Korea, Japan and Thailand besides India. Merieux Alliance has 59 per cent stake in BioMerieux. The Group believes in the strategy of applying specific approach in specific countries.
"The Merieux Alliance Group in general is focusing on prevention, diagnostics, prognosis, treatment and clinical monitoring. The group is actively looking at the possibility of developing personalised medicine, particularly in the area of cancer", Alain Merieux, chairman of Merieux Alliance told Pharmabiz.
Alain Merieux founded BD Merieux in 1963, which was jointly owned by Institute Merieux and Becton Dickinson to launch diagnostics activities in Europe. In 1974 Alain took over BD Merieux, which became BioMerieuxe. Between 1980 and 2006, BioMerieux acquired API Systems (bacterial identification galleries), Vitek (automated bacteriology diagnostics), Transgene, Organon Teknika and controlling stake in Shantha Biotechnics.
BioMerieux focuses on clinical diagnostics, primarily infectious diseases and also cancers and cardiovascular pathologies, and industrial microbiological quality control. It also develops, manufactures and markets diagnostic systems comprising reagents used for detecting, identifying and quantifying pathogens. Its activity is based on three broad areas of biotechnology - bacteriology, immunoassays and molecular biology.
The company is positioned eighth among diagnostics companies worldwide with sales of about one billion euros. It has production facilities in Europe, United States and Brazil. It has presence in about 150 countries and makes over 80 per cent of sales outside France.