BioMérieux Acquires Oncology and Theranostics Company

BioMérieux, (Marcy l'Etoile, France) acquired full ownership of the privately held AviaraDx, Inc., (San Diego, CA, USA), a molecular in vitro diagnostics company, for US$60 million. The acquisition will help bioMérieux gain validated cancer biomarkers as well as capabilities in gene expression profiling in tissues for applications in oncology. AviaraDx's diagnostic tests are used in the molecular classification of cancers and assist oncologists in making critical therapeutic decisions.

AviaraDx will remain as an independent legal entity called bioTheranostics, Inc. Richard Ding, bioMérieux's corporate vice president of business development and theranostics, has been named CEO of bioTheranostics. He will also continue to serve as a member of the bioMérieux management committee and to lead bioMérieux's business development and theranostics activities.

AviaraDx has built a molecular research and development lab and small sales and marketing team, as well as a high complexity Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments- (CLIA)-certified service lab. It has two innovative products on the market: Aviara CancerType ID, which provides improved cancer classification, especially for patients diagnosed with metastatic cancer where the origin is uncertain or unknown; IndexSM, which offers a combined assessment of two Aviara markers (H/I and MGI) for risk prognosis and treatment response prediction for chemo- and hormonal therapy. H/I markers provide assessment of endocrine resistance (ER) and risk of recurrence in certain breast cancers and MGI gives an assessment of the chemosensitivity, tumor grade, and prediction in ER and other breast cancers.

The acquisition of AviaraDX puts bioMérieux in a position to offer a wide range of high-value tools for cancer management, which help oncologists make relevant clinical decisions in their daily practice: the widely installed Vidas immunoassay platform and molecular diagnostics with the NucliSens range together with AviaraDx technologies.

"The acquisition of AviaraDx is a major milestone in bioMérieux's long-term growth strategy. Their molecular technology in tumor tissue and broad clinical capabilities will help us achieve Dr. Christophe Mérieux's vision of providing patients with personalized, predictive medicine,” stated Stéphane Bancel, CEO of bioMérieux. "We are also very excited to welcome the talented AviaraDx team to bioMérieux,” he added.

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