Baxter and bioMérieux Announce Collaboration to Improve Identification and Treatment of Acute Kidney Injury

DEERFIELD, Ill. & MARCY L’ÉTOILE, France–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX), a global leader in acute care, and
bioMérieux, a world leader in the field of in vitro
diagnostics, announced an agreement to develop future biomarkers with
the goal to rapidly identify and inform treatment of acute kidney injury
(AKI). The announcement was made at the International Symposium on
Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine (ISICEM) this week.

“We’re committed to improving outcomes for critically ill patients
across the continuum of care, which includes identifying opportunities
to diagnose AKI earlier so a patient can receive the best therapy,” said
Reaz Rasul, general manager of Baxter’s Acute Therapies business. “By
working with the team at bioMérieux, we’ll be able to combine their
expertise in diagnostics with our experience in bringing the latest
medical advancements to the ICU.”

“As a leader in pioneering diagnostic solutions, we’re looking forward
to collaborating with Baxter to address the important challenges in
critical care medicine such as AKI. In order to accomplish this, the
team at the recently-acquired Astute Medical is committed to the
development of additional high medical value biomarkers for improved
patient care,” said Mark Miller, Executive Vice President, Chief Medical
Officer at bioMérieux.

AKI is a sudden decrease in kidney function over a period of hours to
days, often the result of illness, trauma or infection. The sudden loss
of kidney function leads to the accumulation of toxins and fluid in the
blood that, if left untreated, may lead to death. The most severe stage
of AKI requires renal replacement therapy (“dialysis”) to replace the
function of the kidneys. AKI is an increasingly common complication of
acute illnesses in intensive care units and hospitals and early
diagnosis is critical.^1,2,3

Additional details about the agreement were not disclosed.