US-based Avisa Pharma has successfully detected active tuberculosis (TB) using a new breathe test in a pilot study conducted in Durban, South Africa.

The AV-BreathTest has been developed to rapidly screen and detect active tuberculosis in less than 10min.

The test detects bacterial lung infections by using its platform, which is the non-radioactive stable isotopic ratio of 13C and 12C.

The point-of-care test is designed to measure the whole lung, monitor antibiotic therapy, and provide a result.

"Monitoring efficacy of antibiotic therapy is another potential benefit of our technology."

Avisa president David S. Joseph said: "This pilot study allows us to plan our pivotal clinical trials to be held in 2017 on multiple continents for regulatory approvals.

"Early screening triage and detection by our breath test biomarker can substantially reduce the spread of this terrible disease; reduce the need for time-consuming, low-sensitivity smear microscopy; and identify active TB in those patients with symptoms that have difficulty in producing sputum for culture or PCR detection.

How well do you really know your competitors?

Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.

Company Profile – free sample

Thank you!

Your download email will arrive shortly

Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample

We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form

By GlobalData
Visit our Privacy Policy for more information about our services, how we may use, process and share your personal data, including information of your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications. Our services are intended for corporate subscribers and you warrant that the email address submitted is your corporate email address.

"Since the test is less than 10 minutes, monitoring efficacy of antibiotic therapy is another potential benefit of our technology given the major concern of multidrug resistance."

The company studied three cohorts using HIV negative patients, along with suspected HIV positive TB subjects, and control patients.

Avisa used AV-BreathTest to detect TB in both HIV positive and negative cohorts. This was confirmed by PCR and standard TB culture.

Avisa noted that there are 9.5 million active TB cases worldwide, of which one million are children who have difficulty producing sputum, and require traditional tests with more invasive procedures.