bioMérieux reinforces its offering of High Medical Value immunoassay biomarkers with the acquisition of Astute Medical

This acquisition builds upon the fruitful partnership developed in 2015 between Astute Medical and bioMérieux when Astute granted bioMérieux a license to develop and market the NEPHROCHECK^® test for the VIDAS^® automated immunoassay system. Since 2017, bioMérieux has been a licensed distributor with Astute for the NEPHROCHECK^® test on the Astute140 Meter in the US.

Astute Medical has developed a strong network of Key Opinion Leaders and demonstrated significant value for NEPHROCHECK^® with peer-reviewed outcomes studies. bioMérieux intends to continue to invest in health economic and outcome stdies for NEPHROCHECK^®, explore the other promising biomarkers in the Astute pipeline as well as work with Astute’s current license and distribution partners in order to make the NEPHROCHECK^® test available to as many patients as possible worldwide.

AKI is a major public health threat that is common, costly and potentially fatal in hospitalized patients¹. Today, up to 50 percent of severely ill patients develop AKI² which can result in prolonged hospital stays³, chronic kidney disease⁴, a greater risk of mortality³, and higher cost of care³. An outcomes study published recently by the journal Intensive Care Medicine⁵ reported a 33.9 percent reduction in the occurrence of moderate to severe AKI following cardiac surgery when clinicians used the NEPHROCHECK^® test to identify patients with moderate to severe risk for AKI and then implemented a bundle of care recommended by the Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) guidelines.

For the critically ill patient, unique biomarker tests such as the VIDAS^® BRAHMS PCT^™ and the NEPHROCHECK^® test are complementary: procalcitonin guidance shortens antibiotic exposure, which can be important in preserving kidney health, while the NEPHROCHECK^® test determines AKI risk, which is key for antibiotic management and other medical interventions.

“We are very enthusiastic to welcome the Astute team as part of bioMérieux after 3 years of beneficial collaboration,” commented Alexandre Mérieux, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “Because of its relevance in many severe medical conditions, the NEPHROCHECK^® test developed by Astute perfectly fits bioMérieux’s strategy to differentiate VIDAS^® through proprietary markers and to provide our customers with innovative and high medical value diagnostic solutions for improved patient care.”

Chris Hibberd, Astute Medical Chief Executive Officer, added: “Astute’s innovative Acute Kidney Injuries products offer a unique opportunity to address an important area of critical care in the hospital. bioMérieux’s global footprint, critical care presence and dedication to areas of high medical need positions the Company well to advance and scale this opportunity with the Astute team and its partners. The Astute team has enjoyed a wonderful collaboration with bioMérieux and we look forward to building this together.”

bioMérieux has agreed to acquire all shares of Astute Medical Inc. for approximately $90 million in cash. Due to investments for commercialization, and further health economic and outcome research, the estimated operating expenses related to Astute for the remaining 9 months of the year could drive an impact of -60 bps on the 2018 contributive operating income of bioMérieux.