NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) – Australian diagnostics firm SpeeDx announced today that it has signed a European distribution agreement for its PlexPCR and ResistancePlus multiplex real-time PCR products with Cepheid.
SpeeDx's ResistancePlus line includes the ResistancePlus MG assay for antibiotic-resistant Mycoplasma genitalium and the ResistancePlus MG positive control kit. The PlexPCR line includes the PlexPCR HSV-1&2, VZV test for herpes simplex virus 1 and 2, and varicella zoster virus. All three products are CE marked.
Under the terms of the deal, Cepheid, which is part of Danaher, will offer the products in Germany, France, Italy, and the UK. Additional terms were not disclosed.
"SpeeDx offers a unique approach to simultaneous detection of pathogens and drug resistance directly from clinical specimens, consistent with Cepheid's approach to detecting tuberculosis," David Persing, Cepheid's chief medical and technology officer, said in a statement. "This technology could potentially be applied in multiple settings in which actionable treatment information is needed quickly."
Earlier this year, SpeeDx partnered with Thermo Fisher Scientific to obtain US Food and Drug Administration approval for the ResistancePlus MG assay. And last year, the company signed on Goffin Molecular Technologies to distribute the PlexPCR and ResistancePlus products in Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg.