Press Releases

For Immediate Release
Date: January 10, 2008
Contact: Carlene Simmons, Marketing Communications Manager
Phone: 800.871.8909 ext. 109

Sensititre® YeastOne® Now Includes Latest Antifungal Agents: Anidulafungin and Micafungin

Cleveland, Ohio — January 10, 2008 –TREK Diagnostic Systems, a Magellan Biosciences company and leading provider of susceptibility products for microbiology labs, now offers the latest antifungal agents,  Anidulafungin and Micafungin, as part of its Sensititre YeastOne plate format for antifungal susceptibility testing. With nine antifungal agents on just one format, YeastOne is the most-comprehensive antifungal susceptibility panel on the market, providing microbiologists the highest-quality results, while significantly reducing the cost per test.

Manufactured by Pfizer Inc., Anidulafungin (ERAXIS™) is a glucan synthesis inhibitor in the echinocandin class, used to treat esophageal candidiasis and invasive Candida infections. Micafungin (MYCAMINE®), manufactured by Astellas Pharma Inc., is similar to Anidulafungin in structure, but somewhat differs in application. Micafungin is used in the prevention of Candida infections in patients undergoing stem cell transplants, but can also be used to treat esophageal candidiasis.

“We work closely with pharmaceutical companies and Sensititre is their platform of choice during drug development, so TREK has early access to newly cleared agents,” commented TREK Diagnostic Systems’ Global Marketing Director, Jenny Lorbach. “We are pleased to be the first to offer Anidulafungin and Micafungin on our YeastOne plate format. This new format also includes references for testing of filamentous fungi, as well as yeast. TREK is committed to providing the broadest range of susceptibility testing products to the microbiology community.”

YeastOne with Anidulafungin and Micafungin plates (Part No. YO-9) are for research use only, and are not for use in diagnostic procedures.

With a long history of developing and manufacturing cost-effective customized susceptibility and identification plates, TREK Diagnostic Systems offers a full range of services for clinical trial management worldwide, including custom susceptibility plate design, MIC testing for new drug clearance, resistance surveillance testing, antifungal testing, and frozen NCCLS reference plate manufacturing. TREK provides full diagnostic support for laboratories in the United States and in Europe.

Founded in January 1999, TREK Diagnostic Systems is a global manufacturer and distributor of automated systems and consumable products for the microbiology diagnostic laboratory. Signature product lines include VersaTREK®, Sensititre®, alamarBlue®, para-JEM®, YeastOne®, onSite®, and TREK Lab Services. TREK is committed to delivering the highest-quality products and services to clinical, pharmaceutical, and veterinary diagnostic laboratories worldwide. TREK is a wholly owned subsidiary of Magellan Biosciences.

For more information, contact Carlene Simmons at 1.800.871.8909 ext. 109 or via e-mail at csimmons@trekds.com.