Company type | Subsidiary |
---|---|
Industry | |
Founded | March 1996 |
Headquarters | Sunnyvale, California, U.S. |
Key people |
|
Revenue | US$531.08 million (August 2016) |
Number of employees | 6,000+ (2024) |
Parent | Danaher Corporation [1] |
Website | cepheid |
Footnotes /references [2] [3] |
Cepheid [lower-alpha 1] is an American molecular diagnostics company that is a wholly owned subsidiary of Danaher Corporation. Its systems automate traditional nucleic acid tests (tests for specific sequences of DNA or RNA). The tests can be used to identify and analyze pathogens and genetic disorders. Cepheid sells clinical tests for healthcare-associated infections, infectious diseases, sexual health, oncology and genetics. [5]
The cartridges used in Cepheid's testing machines are single-use and must be bought from the manufacturer. The company has been accused of profiteering, particularly in developing countries, by pricing the cartridges at many times the cost of production, and engaging in price discrimination.[ citation needed ]
Cepheid owns the GeneXpert rapid molecular diagnostic system, its main product. [5] The system was developed in the 1990s; the design remained substantially the same from the turn of the century to 2020. [6] Similar tests have subsequently been developed by Abbott and Roche. [6]
The GeneXpert system identifies organisms from their DNA. [6] It extracts genetic material from a sample and, in the case of RNA viruses, it converts the RNA into DNA first. [7] The GeneXpert test is basically an automated version of standard real-time PCR (polymerase chain reaction) amplification and detection. [6]
Each sample to be tested is added to a single-use GeneXpert cartridge, sold by Cepheid; after this, the tests are self-contained [7] and fully-automated. [6] The cartridge contains an injection-moulded series of plastic chambers, which hold the chemicals and the sample. [6] To run the test, multiple cartridges are loaded into a desktop machine (also made by Cepheid, but reusable). [7] The sample and chemicals are moved into the test chambers using microfluidics: there is a rotary valve in the center, and some small plungers; the plungers push the sample into the valve, the valve rotates to a new position, and the sample is then pulled out into a new chamber. The machine provides the temperature cycling needed for the PCR (much like a programmable oven). This makes many copies of DNA matching the sample (amplification). Finally, the presences or absence of the pathogen is detected using FISH probes. These are short sections of DNA which have been made to attach to a fluorescent molecule. If the DNA from the sample matches the DNA of the FISH probes, the two bind, and the sample fluoresces. An optical system detects the glow, or its absence. [6] A test for a new disease can be made by simply swapping in a FISH probe that matches the sequence of the new disease.[ citation needed ]
Tests for which a GeneXpert cartridge is sold as of 2021 [update] (not exhaustive): [1]
The key engineering innovations underlying GeneXpert technologies, as well as early versions of the product and field testing, were done at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory at the University of California. It was funded by the microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) program of the DARPA and the U.S. Army, as well as through LLNL’s internal budget. [1]
Cepheid was founded in 1995 and mainly funded by the US military until the 2001 anthrax attacks. [1] It had received $15 million in Defense Department research and development money prior to the attacks. [8]
During the 2001 anthrax attacks, U.S. federal agencies contracted with Cepheid to track the anthrax. [9] [6] In 2003, the company put a temporary hold on some healthcare development to work with defense contractor, Northrop Grumman, on a U.S. federal government contract to install anthrax detection systems at US Post Office sites nationwide. [10]
Cepheid won the 2006 Industrial Design Excellence Awards for its product, Reagent Bead Dispenser. [11]
The first clinical application for the GeneXpert System was introduced in 2006 with the U.S. FDA clearance of XpertGBS, a rapid molecular diagnostic test for Group B Streptococcus in expectant women. [12] That same year, XpertGBS was categorized by the FDA as "Moderate Complexity" [13] under the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA). It was the first amplified molecular diagnostic test using real-time PCR to receive this categorization. [14] This allowed the test to be performed by the over 27,000 institutions registered for CLIA Moderate Complexity in addition to the approximately 7,000 institutions registered for High Complexity tests.[ citation needed ]
In 2012, Cepheid won a contract with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs for its MRSA reagent test kits. [15]
As of March 31, 2014, Cepheid markets 14 U.S. FDA-cleared clinical in vitro diagnostic (IVD) tests in the U.S. and 16 IVD tests internationally and has placed 6,012 GeneXpert systems globally. [16] [ unreliable source? ]As of March 2020 [update] , there are over 23 000 GeneXpert machines globally, 7,000–10,000 of them in Africa, Latin America and South-East Asia, with over a hundred in some African countries, due to long-term investment in tuberculosis-testing infrastructure by The Global Fund, among others. [17]
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Cepheid announced a partnership with Sherlock Biosciences in February 2020 to begin development of a CRISPR-based diagnostic test for the SARS-CoV-2 (then called "2019-nCov") virus, [18] to run on the same machines as Cepheid's 20-year-old GeneXpert tests, as there were machines already installed in hospitals. [6] In March 2020, the company announced a rapid diagnostic test for SARS-CoV-2; the U.S. FDA granted an emergency use authorization for the test. [19] The diagnostic is designed to run on any of the (over 23,000) existing Cepheid GeneXpert machines worldwide, with the standard 45 minute detection time. [20]
There has been controversy around Cepheid's test-cartridge pricing. Since 2020, there has been a call from the public health community to reduce cartridge pricing to $5, as current[ when? ] prices remain a barrier to use in developing countries with high testing needs.[ citation needed ]
In August 2012, a public-private partnership including the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, United States Agency for International Development, Unitaid, and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced a subsidy plan that reduced the cost of GeneXpert MTB/RIF for TB testing from $16.86 to $9.98 in developing countries. It was recognized that the higher price had been impeding use of the test in low and middle-income countries. The Gates Foundation made an initial $3.5 million payment to fund the drop to start immediately. [21] [22]
In 2020, Cepheid announced that they would charge US$19.80 per COVID-19 test in developing countries [23] [24] (prices are higher in middle-income countries; for instance, GeneXpert TB tests cost $55–82 per cartridge in Indonesia [24] ). Doctors Without Borders stated that that price was not affordable in countries where people live on less than two dollars a day. [23] [24] They estimated [25] that the cost to Cepheid of providing the test is as low as $3, and called the offered price profiteering, asking that Cepheid make a more moderate profit by selling the tests for US$5 each. [24] [23] [26]
The Treatment Action Group (TAG) seconded this request, saying that the development of the tests, and their purchase and global deployment, has been done with public funds, while the owners of Cepheid (Danaher Corporation) made profits of $3 billion in 2019. They requested the same price reduction for all the tests using the same technique, including HIV, tuberculosis, and Hepatitis C, as the costs are similar regardless of the disease (see above). [27] They pointed out that the cartridges for testing for COVID-19 were twice the price of nearly-identical cartridges for tuberculosis, as of March 2020 [update] . [7] The International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease also gave public support. [17] [28] Some dozens of organizations worldwide had joined the “Time for $5” campaign as of October 2019 [update] . [29] [27]
On September 12, 2023, a campaign was launched by author and vlogger John Green to continue the fight to lower the cost of TB cartridges to $5. [30] [31] [32] One week later, Cepheid and Danaher announced a 20% price reduction for their Xpert MTB/RIF TB test cartridge, from $9.98 to $7.97 in high TB-burden countries. However, their Xpert MTB/XDR test used to diagnose for drug-resistant TB, which is the deadliest form, remained unchanged at $14.90. [33] [34]
Cepheid was founded in March 1996 by Thomas Gutshall, Bill McMillan, Dr. Kurt Petersen, Dr. Greg Kovacs, Steven Young and Dr. Allen Northrup.[ citation needed ][ contradictory ]
The company went public in 2000. [6] The initial public offering was June 21, 2000 at US$6 per share. Cepheid stock was listed on the Nasdaq under the ticker symbol CPHD until it was acquired by Danaher in 2016. [35] [ third-party source needed ]
The company's first CEO was Tom Gutshall, who held the position from 1996 to 2002. [36] In April 2002, John L. Bishop was appointed CEO. [2]
In August 2016, the company had a market capitalization of US$2.66 billion. [37]
In late 2016, Danaher Corp. bought Cepheid for US$4 billion, [38] [39] [40] citing a large base of already-installed test instruments, and a wide menu of tests that fit in them. [41]
Cepheid is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California. [42]
Rifampicin, also known as rifampin, is an ansamycin antibiotic used to treat several types of bacterial infections, including tuberculosis (TB), Mycobacterium avium complex, leprosy, and Legionnaires' disease. It is almost always used together with other antibiotics with two notable exceptions: when given as a "preferred treatment that is strongly recommended" for latent TB infection; and when used as post-exposure prophylaxis to prevent Haemophilus influenzae type b and meningococcal disease in people who have been exposed to those bacteria. Before treating a person for a long period of time, measurements of liver enzymes and blood counts are recommended. Rifampicin may be given either by mouth or intravenously.
Tuberculosis is diagnosed by finding Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacteria in a clinical specimen taken from the patient. While other investigations may strongly suggest tuberculosis as the diagnosis, they cannot confirm it.
Danaher Corporation is an American global conglomerate founded in 1984 by brothers Steven and Mitchell Rales. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the company designs, manufactures, and markets medical, industrial, and commercial products and services. Danaher was among the first companies in North America to adopt Kaizen principles, a Japanese lean manufacturing philosophy of continuous improvement and efficiency. The company held $78.5 billion in assets as of 2024.
Tuberculous meningitis, also known as TB meningitis or tubercular meningitis, is a specific type of bacterial meningitis caused by the Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection of the meninges—the system of membranes which envelop the central nervous system.
Treatment Action Group (TAG) is a U.S.-based organization that has been prominent within the movement of HIV/AIDS activism. Being formed in 1991, it has possessed the goals of working with worldwide efforts to increase research on treatments for HIV and for deadly co-infections that affect individuals with HIV, such as hepatitis C and tuberculosis, as well as spur on greater access to and efficient usage of already available treatments. The group additionally monitors research on a possible HIV vaccine and on fundamental science aimed at understanding the pathogenesis of HIV/AIDS.
The National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme (NTEP), earlier known as the Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP), is the Public Health initiative of the Government of India that organizes its anti-Tuberculosis efforts. It functions as a flagship component of the National Health Mission (NHM) and provides technical and managerial leadership to anti-tuberculosis activities in the country. As per the National Strategic Plan 2017–25, the program has a vision of achieving a "TB free India",with a strategies under the broad themes of "Prevent, Detect,Treat and Build pillars for universal coverage and social protection". The program provides, various free of cost, quality tuberculosis diagnosis and treatment services across the country through the government health system.
23andMe Holding Co. is an American personal genomics and biotechnology company based in South San Francisco, California. It is best known for providing a direct-to-consumer genetic testing service in which customers provide a saliva sample that is laboratory analysed, using single nucleotide polymorphism genotyping, to generate reports relating to the customer's ancestry and genetic predispositions to health-related topics. The company's name is derived from the 23 pairs of chromosomes in a diploid human cell.
Löwenstein–Jensen medium, more commonly known as LJ medium, is a growth medium specially used for culture of Mycobacterium species, notably Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
FIND is a global health non-profit based in Geneva, Switzerland. FIND functions as a product development partnership, engaging in active collaboration with over 150 partners to facilitate the development, evaluation, and implementation of diagnostic tests for poverty-related diseases. The organisation's Geneva headquarters are in Campus Biotech. Country offices are located in New Delhi, India; Cape Town, South Africa; and Hanoi, Viet Nam.
The Xpert MTB/RIF is a cartridge-based nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT) for rapid tuberculosis diagnosis and rapid antibiotic sensitivity test. It is an automated diagnostic test that can identify Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) DNA and resistance to rifampicin (RIF). It was co-developed by the laboratory of Professor David Alland at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ), Cepheid Inc. and Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics, with additional financial support from the US National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Molecular diagnostics is a collection of techniques used to analyze biological markers in the genome and proteome, and how their cells express their genes as proteins, applying molecular biology to medical testing. In medicine the technique is used to diagnose and monitor disease, detect risk, and decide which therapies will work best for individual patients, and in agricultural biosecurity similarly to monitor crop- and livestock disease, estimate risk, and decide what quarantine measures must be taken.
DiaSorin S.p.A. is an Italian multinational biotechnology company that produces and markets in vitro diagnostics reagent kits used in immunodiagnostics and molecular diagnostics and since July 2021, it is also active in the Life Science business. The group was founded in 2000 and is headquartered in Saluggia, Italy. Its production is at several plants located in Europe and the United States: Saluggia and Gerenzano (Italy), Dietzenbach (Germany), Stillwater, Minnesota (US), Dartford (UK). Following the acquisition of Luminex, the company acquired five additional production plants located in the United States and in Canada (Toronto). The company is a constituent of the FTSE MIB index.
QuidelOrtho Corporation is an American manufacturer of diagnostic healthcare products that are sold worldwide.
Exact Sciences Corp. is a molecular diagnostics company based in Madison, Wisconsin specializing in the detection of early stage cancers. The company's initial focus was on the early detection and prevention of colorectal cancer; in 2014 it launched Cologuard, the first stool DNA test for colorectal cancer. Since then Exact Sciences has grown its product portfolio to encompass other screening and precision oncological tests for other types of cancer.
Keertan Dheda MBBCh (Wits), FCP(SA), FCCP, PhD (Lond), FRCP (Lond), born in 1969, is a Professor of Mycobacteriology and Global health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) with an extra-mural joint appointment at the University of Cape Town (UCT), where he is a Professor of Respiratory Medicine.
A coronavirus breathalyzer is a diagnostic medical device enabling the user to test with 90% or greater accuracy the presence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 in an exhaled breath. As of the first half of 2020, the idea of a practical coronavirus breathalyzer was concomitantly developed by unrelated research groups in Australia, Canada, Finland, Germany, Indonesia, Israel, Netherlands, Poland, Singapore, United Kingdom and USA.
Truenat is a chip-based, point-of-care, rapid molecular test for diagnosis of infectious diseases. The technology is based on the Taqman RTPCR chemistry which can be performed on the portable, battery operated Truelab Real Time micro PCR platform. Truenat is developed and manufactured by Goa-based Molbio Diagnostics Private Limited.
The GeneXpert Infinity is an automated cartridge-based nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT) which is able to tell whether the subject fluid contains shreds of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, amongst others. It is manufactured by Cepheid Inc.
Seegene, Inc is a Korean manufacturer of in vitro diagnostic (IVD) products, particularly molecular diagnostics. Its portfolio includes a range of assays and screening products for sepsis, respiratory diseases such as influenza and respiratory syncytial virus, as well as sexually transmitted infections (STIs). It was founded in 2000. In early 2020, it began developing and distributing a range of tests for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link){{cite web}}
: |author=
has generic name (help)