Mediven’s innovative diagnostics changes paradigm of personalised medicine

Infectious diseases such as tuberculosis conventionally take as long as two months to diagnose, by which time the infected individual may have already spread the disease to many others. This is one of the biggest reasons – despite the availability of vaccines that prevent it and drugs that kill it – tuberculosis remains a major challenge in modern medicine.

There is growing hope, however, that early detection can finally help eradicate such diseases.

“Early diagnosis means early patient management, which translates to fewer undiagnosed patients causing the spread of the disease,” says Ariff Ismail, executive director of Malaysia-based Medical Innovation Ventures (Mediven).

Among the leading manufacturers of in vitro diagnostic kits for tropical diseases in Southeast Asia, Mediven offers early diagnosis for better patient care. Its breakthroughs include the GenoAmp Real-Time PCR Leptospirosis test, which detects the disease when other kits fail because of the multiple target genes it tests for. Another is the GenoAmp Real-Time PCR Malaria kit, which tests for and differentiates the five strains of malaria.

The company is set to launch the GenoAmp Trioplex Real-Time RT-PCR Zika/Den/Chiku kit – a multiplex diagnostic assay that screens for Zika, dengue and chikungunya in a single drop of a patient’s blood in about 2.5 hours. The kit is useful for screening donated blood, especially for transfusions to pregnant women.

With an in-house design and development expertise and partnerships with research institutions and universities, Mediven also develops and localises assay designs according to clinical needs – an expertise that has earned the trust of a growing clientele including the Ministry of Health Malaysia.

Rapidly gaining customers in Myanmar, Brunei, Indonesia, Singapore, Laos, Thailand, Pakistan and other overseas markets, Mediven also expanded its network of distributors, particularly in the Middle East, South America and Africa.

“We look forward to working with experienced partners with extensive local networks and excellent aftersales support,” Ismail says. “Together, we aim to provide high-quality, cost-effective solutions that will change the paradigm of personalised medicine.”

www.mediven.com.my