Baxter reaches deal to distribute kidney diagnostic test
DEERFIELD - Baxter International Inc. said Wednesday it has reached a deal to distribute a new kidney injury test in the U.S. and Europe, following regulatory approval and launch in both markets.
The agreement is with the French company bioMérieux, which is developing a test to assess a patient's risk of developing persistent severe acute kidney injury, or AKI, a potentially life-threatening condition where the kidneys suddenly stop working, often as the result of illness, trauma or infection.
Currently, physicians are evaluating the likelihood of renal recovery and making decisions on when to initiate renal replacement therapy with conventional markers such as creatinine and urine output, which have well-known limitations, Baxter said.
"Baxter's agreement with bioMérieux will allow us to introduce a new diagnostic offering to our Acute Therapies portfolio and offer clinicians a meaningful tool as they manage the complexities of AKI in their patients," said Reaz Rasul, general manager of Baxter's Acute Therapies business.