QUÉBEC CITY, February 19, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

GenePOC Inc., member of the Debiopharm Group™, is proud to announce the launch in its home market for the revogene instrument and the GenePOC™ GBS LB assay.

About Group B Streptococcus (GBS) in Canada 

GBS is the leading cause of infection in infants worldwide with a fatality rate between 4-6%^[i]. The SOGC guideline^[ii] recommends universal antepartum screening for women at 35-37 weeks of gestation, along with intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis. While this has resulted in a decrease in early onset disease (EOD) rate, there is still an ongoing need for more sensitive GBS detection. In fact, studies have shown that up to 61.4% of term infants with GBS disease are born to women who have had negative cultures for Group B Streptococcus^[iii].

About GenePOC GBS LB test 

GenePOC GBS LB is indicated for identification of Group B Streptococcus from LIM broth enrichments of vaginal/rectal specimen swabs obtained from pregnant women.

"We are passionate at GenePOC about eliminating the highly debilitating effects of EOD which include meningitis, pneumonia and in some cases death. In launching the GBS LB assay, we are directly addressing that unmet clinical need and meeting the market expectations," said Patrice Allibert, PhD, CEO of GenePOC.

"A dream comes true of bringing a smart and portable device for molecular diagnostics that can replace routine culture methods, giving better performance and much more rapid turnaround times," commented Prof Dr Michel G. Bergeron, from Université Laval and Founder of GenePOC.

About revogene™ 

The revogene is an automated stand-alone instrument that enables testing from single-use proprietary microfluidic cartridges, with fluorescence-based real-time polymerase chain reaction platform to deliver an accurate diagnosis.

About GenePOC 

GenePOC, member of the Debiopharm Group™, specializes in diagnostic devices for the prevention and detection of infectious diseases. The company aims to become the market leader in the rapid microbial testing.  GenePOC's revogene instrument is also available in the US and EU markets with a rapidly expanding test menu. Further information: http://www.genepoc-diagnostics.com

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i. Edmond et al., The Lancet, 2012; 379; p.547-55

ii. Money et al., J Obstet Gynaecol Can 2013;35(10):e1-e10

iii. Van Dyke, et al., NEJM, June 18, 2009; 360(25):2626-36

Contact at GenePOC
Patrice Allibert, Ph.D
CEO
patrice.allibert@genepoc.ca
Tel.: +1-418-650-3535

SOURCE Debiopharm International SA