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SpeeDx Signs Distributor Deals in Middle East

NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) – SpeeDx, an Australia-based manufacturer of diagnostic test kits, announced today that it has expanded its footprint in the Middle East through a new distribution partnership.

The partnership with Al Zahrawi Medical Supplies will enable distribution of the firm's SpeeDx Resistance Plus and PlexPCR portfolios in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, and Oman.

The SpeeDx ResistancePlus tests combine infection detection with detection of genetic markers of antibiotic resistance.

The firm's CE-marked ResistancePlus GC assay detects Neisseria gonorrhoeae (GC) and markers for ciprofloxacin susceptibility, while ResistancePlus MG fills an unmet need by detecting Mycoplasma genitalium and genetic markers for azithromycin resistance.

The PlexPCR portfolio includes a multiplex test for herpes simplex virus (1 and 2), varicella zoster, and Treponema pallidum (syphilis) called PlexPCR VHS, and a multiplex herpes virus panel called PlexPCR HSV-1, 2 & VZV.

SpeeDx plans to release a new ResistancePlus MG test that will detect resistance markers linked to second-line antibiotic treatment failure, as well as a ResistancePlus MP test for Mycoplasma pneumoniae, commonly known as "walking pneumonia," and macrolide resistance markers, according to a statement.

The firm is also currently conducting clinical trials for US Food and Drug Administration clearance of its ResistancePlus MG assay. An assay from Hologic to detect M. genitalium was granted de novo clearance by the FDA earlier this year.

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