Canadian approval for Myconostica's Aspergillus test
This article was originally published in Clinica
Executive Summary
Myconostica has been granted a licence by Health Canada to sell its MycAssay Aspergillus test there. The diagnostic detects Aspergillus DNA in lower respiratory tract samples, including those obtained by bronchoalveolar lavage, using real-time PCR, and can provide results in three hours when used with the company’s extraction system, MycXtra. Conventional methods can take up to 10 days. Aspergillus is a fungal infection that can cause potentially life-threatening pneumonia, particularly in immunocompromised people such as leukaemia and bone marrow cancer patients. Manchester, UK-based Myconostica CE marked the test for sale in Europe in October 2009 (www.clinica.co.uk, October 14 2009). Meanwhile, the firm has signed up Inverness Medical Canada, a subsidiary of Inverness Medical Innovations, as the exclusive distributor of its products in Canada.