SARS-CoV-2

“At present, it is critical for ZeptoMetrix to be able to quickly provide a commercial solution for a non-infectious SARS-CoV-2 quality control for safe use by diagnostic test developers.” – Shawn R. Smith, President, ZeptoMetrix

BUFFALO, N.Y. (PRWEB)
March 11, 2020

In response to the current COVID-19 global health emergency, ZeptoMetrix™ Corporation (ZMC) announced today the development and release of a SARS-CoV-2 recombinant construct – NATtrol™ SARS-CoV-2 (recombinant) Stock – 0831042.

This non-infectious quality control incorporates a recombinant construct associated with targeted detection regions of the virus which may be utilized in the development of molecular assays designed to detect SARS-CoV-2 as well as safely utilized in BSL-2 facilities in place of the live virus, as non-infectious, external quality controls for assays developed to detect SARS-CoV-2.

As the health risk posed by COVID-19 sees prolific daily growth, the CDC recommendations for infection prevention and control is evolving quickly. As with Zika, MERS, H1N1, and SARS, ZeptoMetrix is uniquely positioned to assist its partners and customers with an array of quality controls, research reagents, developmental tools and scientific expertise during our present emergency.

It is imperative for overall public health that our ID community better understand SARS-CoV-2. ZeptoMetrix has made it a priority to provide clinical laboratories, assay developers, manufacturers, researchers and healthcare workers alike with equal access to its extensive collection of coronavirus products.

“As we’ve learned, you always need the right tools for the right job” explains Shawn R. Smith, President of ZeptoMetrix, “…and our comprehensive availability of off-the-shelf coronavirus products helps provide the Infectious Disease diagnostics community with as many precise and dependable tools as possible. At present, it is critical for ZeptoMetrix to be able to quickly provide a commercial solution for a non-infectious SARS-CoV-2 quality control for safe use by diagnostic test developers.”

“In conjunction with our existing and ever growing product listing, I am proud in our Team’s ability to meet today’s challenges and positively impact public health efforts in any manner we can.”

ZeptoMetrix is presently in production of additional SARS-CoV-2 research materials and controls to assist in the rapid development of diagnostic tests and provide safe options for intact, non-infectious QC materials. Please visit our website and review upcoming press releases with regards to SARS-CoV-2 Lysate, SARS-CoV-2 Heat Inactivated Culture Fluid and NATtrol™ SARS-CoV-2.

ZEPTOMETRIX CORONAVIRUS PRODUCTS:

Coronavirus 229E

NATtrol™ Coronavirus 229E Stock – NATCOV(299E)-ST    

Coronavirus Strain: 229E Culture Fluid – 0810229CF

Coronavirus Strain: 229E Heat Inactivated Culture Fluid – 0810229CFHI

Coronavirus Strain: 229E Lysate – 0810229

Coronavirus NL63

NATtrol™ Coronavirus NL63 Stock – NATCOV(NL63)-ST

Coronavirus Strain: NL63 Culture Fluid – 0810228CF

Coronavirus Strain: NL63 Heat Inactivated Culture Fluid – 0810228CFHI

Coronavirus Strain: NL63 Lysate – 0810228

Coronavirus OC43

NATtrol™ Coronavirus OC43 Stock – NATCOV(OC43)-ST

Coronavirus Strain: OC43 Culture Fluid – 0810024CF

Coronavirus Strain: OC43 Heat Inactivated Culture Fluid – 0810024CFHI

Coronavirus Strain: OC43 Lysate – 0810024

MERS-CoV Florida/USA-2_Saudi Arabia_2014

NATtrol™ MERS-CoV Stock – NATMERS-ST

MERS-CoV Strain: Florida/USA-2_Saudi Arabia_2014 Culture Fluid – 0810575CF

MERS-CoV Strain: Florida/USA-2_Saudi Arabia_2014 Heat Inactivated Culture Fluid – 0810575CFHI

SARS 2003-00592

NATtrol™ Coronavirus SARS Stock – NATSARS-ST

SARS-CoV-2 Recombinant                        

NATtrol SARS-CoV-2 (recombinant) Stock – 0831042

About ZeptoMetrix™

ZeptoMetrix Corporation (ZMC) is an established industry leader in the design, development, and delivery of innovative, quality solutions to the Infectious Disease Diagnostics Market. Our expertise and abilities in Molecular Diagnostics, including External Quality Controls, Verification Panels, Proficiency Panels, Customized and OEM Products/Services have set the industry standard for performance and reliability and made ZeptoMetrix the preferred choice for independent 3rd party QC materials.

Founded in 1999, ZeptoMetrix is headquartered in Buffalo, NY with additional facilities in Franklin, Massachusetts.

About NATtrol™

Globally, millions of people are tested for infectious diseases each year. The implications of reporting either a false positive or a false negative can be devastating to the patient. Accurate and sensitive diagnostics are necessary to confirm that laboratories are providing patients with proper testing results. Utilizing ZeptoMetrix NATtrol QC materials on a consistent basis helps to monitor testing performance and enhance confidence in testing results.

ZeptoMetrix NATtrol Molecular Diagnostics products are an essential component of today’s ever-evolving testing market and are designed to provide safe, accurate and cost-effective support for activities relating to the analysis and identification of possible disease-causing microorganisms. The patented ZeptoMetrix NATtrol process renders highly-purified microorganisms non-infectious while allowing internal nucleic acids to remain intact, thereby serving as an ideal reference material for molecular diagnostic testing applications. Representing a total process control, from DNA extraction through amplification and eventual detection, NATtrol products are ready-to-use, refrigerator stable, and safe for operators to handle.

The routine and repetitive use of NATtrol™ External Run Controls and Verification Panels help enable laboratories to monitor performance and identify trends in daily test variations, test kit lot changes, and among individual operators.

For Sales and/or information regarding ZeptoMetrix, NATtrol Molecular Quality Controls & Panels, and Development/Custom Services, please contact ZeptoMetrix Customer Service.

Contact:

ZeptoMetrix Corporation, Customer Service

878 Main Street

Buffalo, NY 14202

716-882-0920

custserv(at)zeptometrix(dot)com

http://www.zeptometrix.com

Media:

Michael Hershfield, Vice President, Sales & Marketing                            

508-553-5852

mhershfield@zeptometrix.com

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Ortho Sera

Ortho Clinical Diagnostics is proud to offer our laboratory partners solutions that help them quickly test donor blood for the most-needed phenotypes and confidently provide it to patients in need of transfusion.

RARITAN, N.J. (PRWEB)
March 10, 2020

Ortho Clinical Diagnostics, a global leader of in vitro diagnostics dedicated to improving and saving lives through innovative laboratory solutions, announced its ORTHOTM Sera, ID-MTS, a suite of extended antigen in a gel testing format used for blood phenotyping for patients in need of transfusion, is cleared to run on ORTHO VISION® and ORTHO VISION® Max in the United States and Canada. The clearances allow testing for more than 99 percent of the most commonly tested blood group antigens to be performed on one platform, driving greater value and efficiency.

The suite was cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for use on the ORTHO VISION® Analyzer in October 2019, and for use on the ORTHO VISION® Max in January 2020. The suite received Health Canada approval in January 2020.

Watch a video on how Sera works: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wL2oVvFXhsY.

“Ortho Clinical Diagnostics is proud to offer our laboratory partners solutions that help them quickly test donor blood for the most-needed phenotypes and confidently provide it to patients in need of transfusion,” said Bob Stowers, head of Ortho’s transfusion medicine product portfolio. “With the ability to analyze the most commonly tested antigens on a single ORTHO VISION system and results in under 25 minutes, lab teams are better equipped to help clinicians focus on what matters most—treating their patients.”

During pre-transfusion testing, lab professionals routinely encounter complex patient samples that require extended antigen typing. These patients have developed atypical antibodies to blood group antigens and require additional testing to find compatible blood.

Its antisera additive approach means customers always have the appropriate reagents available and allows extended phenotyping to be personalized according to patient needs—reducing waste and enhancing efficiency.

With end-to-end full automation on the ORTHO VISION and ORTHO VISION Max analyzers, ORTHO Sera minimizes the potential for human error—improving safety—and provides consistent, reliable results while freeing up lab professionals to focus on value-added tasks.

The 13 ORTHO Sera reagents available in the U.S. and Canada on the ORTHO VISION Analyzer and ORTHO VISION Max include Anti-D (DVI), Anti-D (IAT), Anti-Fya, Anti-Fyb, Anti-Jka, Anti-Jkb, Anti-K, Anti-Lea, Anti-Leb, Anti-N, Anti-P1, Anti-S, Anti-s.

For more information, visit https://www.orthoclinicaldiagnostics.com/en-us/home/ortho-sera.

About Ortho Clinical Diagnostics

Ortho Clinical Diagnostics, a global leader of in vitro diagnostics dedicated to improving and saving lives through innovative laboratory solutions, serves the clinical laboratory and immunohematology communities.

Ortho’s high-quality products and services help hospitals, hospital networks, blood banks and labs in more than 125 countries and territories deliver consistently fast, accurate, and reliable results that allow clinicians to make better-informed treatment decisions.

Ortho’s lab solutions provide sophisticated testing technologies, automation, information management and interpretation tools to clinical laboratories to help them run more efficiently and effectively and improve patient care.

Ortho’s blood typing products help ensure every patient receives blood that is safe, the right type and the right unit.

Why does Ortho continue to innovate and provide industry-changing solutions? Because every test is a life.

For more information about Ortho’s solutions and services, visit http://www.orthoclinicaldiagnostics.com, or visit Ortho on social media: LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

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We want to make it clear what is being offered to each new Medicare enrollee, the possible advantages and drawbacks of every option, and the best choice to fit each enrollee’s needs—including those of people suffering from chronic conditions

CLEARWATER, Fla. (PRWEB)
March 10, 2020

There are about 77 million baby boomers in the United States, of whom 10,000 per day become eligible for Medicare.(1) It is estimated that nearly half of these new Medicare enrollees have a preexisting medical condition that could lead to coverage issues with supplemental Medicare insurance.(2) Medicare supplement plans, notes says Dave Rich, CEO of online multi-carrier insurance broker Ensurem, can delay coverage for up to six months for health conditions that were treated or diagnosed within six months of application. “As many chronic conditions require regular treatment,” says Rich, “seniors with such conditions who are initially enrolling in Medicare should make certain that any plan they purchase will provide for their actual medical needs.”

Research also suggests that baby boomers in their 50s and 60s are in poorer health, with more chronic diseases and disabilities, than earlier generations at the same age. One study shows older adults in 2004-2010 having a higher prevalence of six out of eight chronic conditions—including a 37% higher prevalence of diabetes—than their peers in 1992-1998.(5) These findings have helped drive public discussions of overall healthcare costs in the U.S., with estimates ranging from $3.2 trillion per year over the next decade for one proposed solution(6) to $3.6 trillion per year for maintaining the status quo, to $4.4 trillion or more.(7)

Navigating Medicare Gaps for Seniors

Original Medicare leaves treatment and expense gaps in coverage for the consumer, so many seniors must opt in for additional insurance. While in some areas there are twenty or more different plans available, the options, notes Rich, fall into two categories. Medigap, also known as Medicare Supplement Insurance, offers coverage for out-of-pocket expenses not covered by Medicare A and B. These plans serve essentially as an extension of basic Medicare, covering additional expenses while maintaining the covered person’s right to treatment by any healthcare provider who accepts Medicare. Medicare Advantage plans, on the other hand, limits policyholders to using the insurer’s managed-care network; some such plans do not cover out-of-network providers at all. (3)

For a Medicare Supplement policy especially, notes Rich, carriers may stipulate a delay in coverage for preexisting conditions. New enrollees should also be aware that for a brief period—the six months after they first sign up for Medicare Part B—Medigap plans cannot reject an applicant, or charge a higher premium, because the applicant has a preexisting condition. Once that period is over, insurers (except in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, and New York) can reject applicants with a preexisting condition or charge them a higher premium. (4)For Medicare Advantage, carriers may not deny an application due to any preexisting condition other than end-stage renal disease.

While these discussions are important, says Rich, what is needed on the individual level is clarity—not for the future, but for now. Ensurem’s goal is first to understand what is happening in the Medicare space at any given time, and secondly to translate that to the customers who come on their site. “We want to make it clear what is being offered to each new Medicare enrollee, the possible advantages and drawbacks of every option, and the best choice to fit each enrollee’s needs—including those of people suffering from chronic conditions.”

About Ensurem:

Ensurem, headquartered in Clearwater, FL, is a leading technology and product distribution company serving carriers and consumers within the massive U.S. senior market. The company provides end-to-end solutions for carriers, including product development, digital marketing, and consumer-centric front ends and back end. For more information, please visit Ensurem.com.

1.    Frankel, Matthew, “9 Baby-Boomer Statistics That Will Blow You Away,” Motley Fool, July 29, 2017, fool.com/retirement/2017/07/29/9-baby-boomer-statistics-that-will-blow-you-away.aspx.

2.    “Nearly 54 Million People Have Pre-Existing Conditions That Would Make Them Uninsurable in the Individual Market without the ACA,” Kaiser Family Foundation, October 4, 2019, kff.org/health-reform/press-release/nearly-54-million-americans-have-pre-existing-conditions-that-would-make-them-uninsurable-in-the-individual-market-without-the-aca/

3.    White, Jacquelyn, “Medicap vs. Medicare Advantage: What’s the Difference?”, The Street, January 24, 2020, thestreet.com/personal-finance/insurance/health-insurance/medigap-vs-medicare-advantage

4.    Miller, Mark, “Medicare’s Private Option Is Gaining Popularity, and Critics,” New York Times, February 21, 2020, nytimes.com/2020/02/21/business/medicare-advantage-retirement.html

5.    Scommegna, Paola, “Are Baby Boomers Healthy Enough to Keep Working?”, Population Reference Bureau, April 23, 2018, prb.org/are-baby-boomers-healthy-enough-to-keep-working/#.

6.    Blumberg, Linda, et al., “From Incremental to Comprehensive Health Insurance Reform: How Various Reform Options Compare on Coverage and Costs,” Urban Institute, October 2019.

7.    “National Health Expenditure Accounts—Historical,” Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, 2019, cms.gov/Research-Statistics-Data-and-Systems/Statistics-Trends-and-Reports/NationalHealthExpendData

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