Nanosphere Receives FDA Clearance for C. difficile Test

Nanosphere, Inc., a leader in the development and commercialization of advanced molecular diagnostics systems, has announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted 510(k) clearance permitting marketing of its C. difficile test on the automated sample-to-result Verigene® System.

The C. difficile test expands Nanosphere’s infectious disease test capabilities. C. difficile infection is a cause of diarrhea that can lead to colitis, other serious intestinal conditions and death. In less than two hours, the C. difficile test detects the toxin A and B gene sequences of C. difficile and identifies the PCR ribotype 027 strain which is associated with increased severity of disease and used for infection control. Early and accurate diagnosis of C. difficile infections is critical in both the proper treatment of infected patients and subsequent implementation of isolation and containment procedures to prevent further spread of the infection.

“The C. difficile test provides Nanosphere’s customers with a valuable tool to fight these deadly and costly infections,” said Bill Moffitt, Nanosphere’s Chief Executive Officer. “With four new products cleared by the FDA in the last 12 months, we are pleased to lead the market in providing a comprehensive suite of tests that can improve patient outcomes and reduce healthcare spending” Moffitt stated.

The sample-to-result test automates the steps of bacterial DNA extraction, amplification, hybridization and target detection on the Verigene System. The ease-of-use and rapid turnaround time of the test allow hospitals of any size to benefit from the speed and accuracy of automated molecular testing.

The C. difficile test complements Nanosphere’s broadening menu of infectious disease tests including:

• Gram-Positive Blood Culture test (BC-GP) to detect bacteria, including antibiotic resistance markers, that may cause bloodstream infections (510(k) cleared; CE-Mark)
• Respiratory Virus Plus test (RV+) to detect multiple respiratory viruses which cause respiratory tract infections (510(k) cleared; CE-Mark)
• Enteric Pathogens test (EP) to detect and multiple bacteria, viruses and toxin genes which cause gastrointestinal infections (In Clinical Trials )
• Gram-Negative Blood Culture test (BC-GN) to detect bacteria, including antibiotic resistance markers, that may cause bloodstream infections (In Clinical Trials)

Nanosphere plans to commercialize the enteric pathogens and gram-negative tests in 2013 following receipt of the necessary regulatory approvals.