Elmwood Park, NJ, May 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BioReference Laboratories, Inc., an OPKO Health company, along with its specialty women’s health division, GenPath, today announces the launch of new testing for aerobic vaginitis (AV).
AV is a vaginal infection caused by the overgrowth of aerobic bacteria that triggers an inflammatory response. Women affected by AV experience vaginal discharge with a foul odor, burning and itching. While AV is a separate infection from bacterial vaginosis (BV), AV commonly co-occurs with BV in 36.9% of vaginal discomfort cases. AV and BV, while similar, require different treatment regimes. If untreated, complications of AV include an increased risk for contracting sexually transmitted infections, pelvic inflammatory disease, infertility, premature labor, preterm delivery and premature rupture of membranes.
“Many patients with signs and symptoms of aerobic vaginitis are incorrectly diagnosed with other vaginal conditions; therefore, it is important that they receive more accurate diagnoses,” said James Weisberger, M.D., Chief Medical Officer of BioReference Laboratories. “The availability of laboratory testing for aerobic vaginitis allows us to support healthcare providers and their patients by more accurately assessing the vaginal microbiome, leading to more targeted treatment.”
This announcement of new testing for AV coincides with the 20th Annual National Women’s Health Week 2019, and serves as a reminder for women to make their health a priority and build positive health habits for life.
“With the addition of aerobic vaginitis testing to our already robust test menu for women’s health, BioReference is reaffirming our commitment to patients affected by emerging conditions,” said Geoff Monk, President of BioReference Laboratories. “AV awareness is relatively new to the medical community and we’re pleased to be able to offer diagnostics in disease areas not offered at most clinical laboratories.”
AV testing is available at BioReference through its specialty women’s health division, GenPath, which provides testing in the areas of genetics, reproductive and sexual health, maternal fetal medicine, oncology and urology. Testing for AV is not yet available in New York State, but is available outside of New York.
For more information, please visit www.bioreference.com and www.genpath.com.
For more information about National Women’s Health Week, visit https://www.womenshealth.gov/nwhw.
About BioReference Laboratories, Inc.
BioReference provides comprehensive testing to physicians, clinics, hospitals, employers, government units, correctional institutions and medical groups. The company is in network with the five largest health plans in the United States, operates a network of 11 laboratory locations, and is backed by a medical staff of more than 160 MD, PhD and other professional level clinicians and scientists. With a leading position in the areas of genetics, women’s health, maternal fetal medicine, oncology and urology, BioReference and its specialty laboratories, GenPath and GeneDx, are advancing the course of modern medicine. For more information, visit www.bioreference.com.
About OPKO Health, Inc.
OPKO Health is a diversified healthcare company. In diagnostics, its BioReference Laboratories is the nation’s third largest clinical laboratory; GeneDx is a rapidly growing genetic testing business; the 4Kscore® prostate cancer test is used to confirm an elevated PSA to help decide about next steps such as prostate biopsy; Claros® 1 is a point-of-care diagnostics platform with a total PSA test approved by the FDA and testosterone as the most advanced test in development. In our pharmaceutical pipeline, RAYALDEE is our first pharmaceutical product to be marketed. OPK88003, a once-weekly oxyntomodulin for type 2 diabetes and obesity recently reported positive data from a Phase 2 clinical trial. It’s among a new class of GLP-1/glucagon receptor dual agonists. OPK88004, a SARM (selective androgen receptor modulator) is currently being studied for various potential indications. The Company’s most advanced product utilizing its CTP technology, a once-weekly human growth hormone for injection, is in Phase 3 trials, and is partnered with Pfizer. OPKO also has research, development, production and distribution facilities abroad. More information is available at www.opko.com.
Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains “forward-looking statements,” as that term is defined under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (PSLRA), which statements may be identified by words such as “expects,” “plans,” “projects,” “will,” “may,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “should,” “intends,” “estimates,” and other words of similar meaning, including statements about expectations for BioReference, our diagnostic testing services and their benefits, and our ability to launch new tests, as well as other non-historical statements about our expectations, beliefs or intentions. Many factors could cause our actual activities or results to differ materially from the activities and results anticipated in forward-looking statements. These factors include those described in the OPKO Health, Inc. Annual Reports on Form 10-K filed and to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and in our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Forward-looking statements may also be adversely affected by general market factors, competitive product development, product availability, federal and state regulations and legislation, the regulatory process for new products and indications, manufacturing issues that may arise, patent positions and litigation, among other factors. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date the statements were made, and we do not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements. We intend that all forward-looking statements be subject to the safe-harbor provisions of the PSLRA.