Novodiag® CarbaR+ Test Allows Rapid Molecular Testing for Superbacteria and Associated Drug Resistance

Mobidiag Ltd., a commercial stage molecular diagnostics company addressing the spread of antimicrobial resistance, announced the CE-IVD marking of Novodiag® CarbaR+. Novodiag® CarbaR+ is a single molecular test allowing fully automated detection of Carbapenemase-Producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE), and associated resistance markers. CPE are bacteria that are resistant to carbapenem class of antibiotics. In addition, Novodiag® CarbaR+ identifies a plasmid-mediated resistance to colistin. Colistin is considered the drug of last resort for many infections.

Novodiag® CarbaR+ combines multiplex qPCR and microarray testing in a single product allowing cost-effective and fast analysis of the most common CPE and colistin resistance markers. These bacteria may cause multiple antibiotics to perform inefficiently, which in turn can lead to serious infections, particularly in healthcare settings. The test is designed to run on-demand using the automated Novodiag® system, producing results in 80 minutes with less than five minutes hands-on time by an operator.

With two multiplex tests already available for screening antibiotic resistance (Amplidiag® CarbaR+VRE and Amplidiag® CarbaR+MCR), the new on demand Novodiag® CarbaR+ test will enable rapid patient screening for multidrug resistant organisms, helping to prevent their spread in a hospital environment, and enabling physicians to guide patient treatment accordingly.

Tuomas Tenkanen, CEO of Mobidiag, said, “Antimicrobial resistance is one of the most significant challenges to global health. Mobidiag is contributing to the fight against “super bacteria” by developing innovative diagnostic tools. Novodiag® CarbaR+ is our third test on the Novodiag® system and strengthens our offering in the fight against antibiotic resistance. Together with our Amplidiag® and Novodiag® tests, we offer comprehensive diagnostic solutions to a wide range of infectious diseases in both centralised and decentralised laboratories regardless of their size and patient volumes”.