InGen BioSciences has acquired the leading European In Vitro Diagnostic Tetanos Quick Stick (TQS) test which ensures optimal management of at risk patients in case of wound in Emergency Departments.
InGen BioSciences is specialized in the development of mono and multiparametric in vitro diagnostic tests. With the acquisition of TQS, InGen BioSciences makes another strategic move closer to its goal of becoming a best-in-class solutions provider.
Indeed, tetanus is still a prevalent disease as estimated by the World Health Organization in European region and the USA in the 1990s to be 0.8 and 0.16 per million inhabitants, respectively. Though tetanus infections can be effectively prevented by prophylactic vaccination, worldwide there is an estimation of 309,000 deaths per year due to this disease.
Specific mortality due to tetanus has remained around 0.4/million inhabitants in France for example since 1994. The at-risk categories are the elderly, women and immigrants, as reported in France, as well as in the United States. According to the guidelines, measures to prevent tetanus in these patients (essentially, appropriate wound cleaning and the injection of immunoglobulins and/or vaccine) should depend on wound characteristics and the patient's immunization status, but most patients seen in the emergency department do not carry certificates and are unaware of the date of their last vaccination.
Standard technique to assess patients' tetanus immunity is the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), which requires 48-72 h to obtain results. Therefore unscheduled tetanus prophylaxis is erroneous in over 40% of cases, tetanus immunoglobulins are overprescribed in 17-30 of patients despite the risks of inoculation and suboptimal in 5-10% of patients who are generally poorly protected with the most tetanus-prone wounds.
“The TQS is a rapid, predictive test for evaluating individuals' protection against tetanus and is, up to now, the most sensitive and specific tool to help manage tetanus prophylaxis in an emergency context” states Pr David Elkharrat, Emergency Medico-surgery Department at Ambroise Paré Hospital, Boulogne Billancourt, France.
“The acquisition, via ZenTech, of the Belgium company Gamma and it's well-known IVD TQS significantly strengthens InGen BioSciences Group's position in the high-growth IVD market and creates an exciting opportunity for our people, as they've closely worked with worldwide biologists on TQS which benefits since 10 years to offer the best possible outcomes for patients,” comments Isabelle Buckle, CEO of InGen BioSciences. “Our model based on offering integrated, concrete best-in-class solutions to present and future needs of healthcare professionals in the rapidly evolving field of diagnostics and on reinforcing our geographic presence in Europe and the United States is even more dynamic now and will be soon fuelled with strategic partnerships and in-house developments of serology and immunodiagnostics products. We strongly believe that partnering with local companies that share our customer oriented approach, for the distribution of Tetanos Quick Stick to our European and American biologist customers will result in improving personalised unscheduled tetanus prophylaxis.”
Since its foundation, InGen BioSciences has experienced 19 per cent compound growth (CAGR) and counts 65 employees (of whom 20% are dedicated to R&D). Its first proprietary product, BJI InoPlex, non-invasive and easy to use tool for detection of infections in pre- and post-operated implants for orthopaedic surgeons, infectious diseases specialists and other healthcare professionals, was launched earlier this year.
The InGen BioSciences Group, - a flexible, reactive, client centric company striving for optimum innovation (products and services) to meet the needs of biologists for their patients - develops and markets (proprietary or license) advanced in vitro diagnostic kits and automats for clinical use.