NEW YORK (360Dx) – Astute Medical said today that it has inked separate agreements with Ortho Clinical Diagnostics and BioMérieux aimed at expanding access to Astute's NephroCheck test, a biomarker-based risk assessment tool for acute kidney injury.
Astute has expanded its European distribution deal with Ortho that expands the number of countries with access to the test. The firm also inked a distribution agreement with BioMérieux that builds on an existing licensing and collaboration agreement.
Under both agreements, the companies will promote the use of the NephroCheck test on the Astute140 Meter in the US.
Financial and other terms of the deals were not disclosed.
In 2014, Astute granted a license to Ortho for the development and marketing of NephroCheck on Ortho's Vitros line of automated, high-volume testing platforms. Then in 2015, Astute entered a licensing agreement with BioMérieux for the development and marketing of NephroCheck with the French diagnostic company’s Vidas immunoassay system.
According to Astute, AKI is a $10 billion drain on the US healthcare system, and it develops in up to 50 percent of severely ill patients. The condition can lead to longer stays in hospitals and higher cost of care, and it can also manifest in chronic kidney disease and a greater risk of mortality, the firm said.
An outcomes study published recently by the journal Intensive Care Medicine reported a 33.9 percent reduction in the occurrence of moderate-to-severe AKI following cardiac surgery when clinicians used the NephroCheck test, and then implemented a bundle of care recommended by the Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes guidelines, Astute said.