Pharmacy News Article

25 November 2009 - US nucleic acid tests (NATs) developer Gen-Probe Incorporated (NASDAQ: GPRO) said yesterday that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared for marketing Prodesse's ProParaflu+ assay, a molecular test that detects and differentiates parainfluenza 1, 2 and 3 viruses, which cause lower respiratory tract infections.

Prodesse is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Gen-Probe.

The ProParaflu+ assay uses real-time RT-PCR (polymerase chain reaction) to identify the parainfluenza 1, 2 and 3 viruses from nasal swabs. The assay uses the same internal control as Prodesse's other tests for respiratory infectious diseases, so a single nucleic acid extract can be tested with any combination of these products, Gen-Probe said.

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