Following US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearance of the MeMed BV test, which helps physicians distinguish between bacterial and viral infections in 15 minutes, Maccabi Healthcare Services is launching the test in all its urgent care centres around Israel.
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Maccabi is one of the largest health maintenance organisations (HMOs) in the world, with 2.5 million members and about 100,000 medical interactions per day.
Head of Maccabi's health division, Dr. Miri Mizrahi Reuven, said: "The new test is a ground-breaking technology that allows for a faster and more accurate diagnosis in community medicine. The test is intended for use in cases where there is uncertainty around the origin of an infection – whether it is bacterial or viral – and the usual auxiliary tests are not sufficient. The test is especially beneficial in children and elderly patients who are at higher risk of medical deterioration if a bacterial infection is not treated in time. We have no doubt that this test can save lives."
The test is based on a technology that decodes the body’s immune response to infection, the ‘host response’, rather than focusing on detecting the presence of a microbe. This allows robust diagnosis when the infection site is inaccessible or unknown, even when the pathogen is undetectable using conventional tests, or when the cause of infection are emerging new pathogens. The MeMed BV test enables better informed antibiotic treatment decisions, an essential tool in the fight against resistant bacteria, and helps physicians make a more accurate and timely diagnosis.
Maccabi Healthcare Services will make the technology available in all the organisation’s urgent care centres starting this month.
A recent pilot conducted by Maccabi showed that in 21% of cases where the new test was used, physicians changed their medical decision in accordance with the test results, proving its effectiveness and relevance in the clinical setting.
Maccabi CEO Sigal Dadon Levy said: "This is significant news in the world of medicine, and we are proud to be the first health organisation to provide this service widely. In the future, we believe that this type of device will become a central and leading tool in the diagnosis and treatment of infectious diseases.”
Dr. Eran Eden, CEO and co-founder of MeMed, added: "We are delighted to collaborate with Maccabi and for the opportunity to provide innovative medical solutions to its members. This is a partnership puts patients front and center. The test is now also being made available to physicians in the US and Europe."
