Meretek Diagnostics to Exhibit at Pri-Med South


LAFAYETTE, Colo., Feb. 22 -- Meretek Diagnostics, manufacturer of the BreathTek(TM) UBT kit for the bacterium Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), will be exhibiting at the Pri-Med South Conference & Exhibition February 23 - 25, 2007, at the Broward County Convention Center in Fort Lauderdale, FL.

Meretek is demonstrating its BreathTek(TM) UBT (urea breath test) kit -- the only breath test available that is FDA approved to test for both initial diagnosis and eradication of H. pylori infection -- in booth #1235. The test is a simple, non-radioactive, non-invasive test to diagnose an active H. pylori infection, which is commonly associated with peptic ulcers. The test is 95 percent sensitive and specific and is also used to confirm eradication following treatment.

"Pri-Med South is a great fit for us," said Meretek Diagnostics President and CEO Ryuichi Kishigami. "It allows us to communicate with physicians, distributors and laboratories to help them understand that blood tests can't distinguish between an active infection and a past H. pylori infection."

About one in three adults in the U.S. is infected with H. pylori, one in 10 may develop a peptic ulcer over their lifetime and 80 to 90 percent of peptic ulcers are caused by an H. pylori infection. However, the diagnosis and treatment of dyspepsia remains inaccurate in the primary care setting.

A recently published study in the American Journal of Managed Care, reported that about one third of patients treated for H. pylori were not tested for infection prior to treatment, and less than 15 percent of patients treated for the bacteria were tested after treatment to confirm eradication.(1)

Despite their continued use, blood tests cannot distinguish between an active infection and a past infection. Since H. pylori is contagious and a class-one carcinogen, it's important for patients and physicians to accurately identify and treat an active infection.

For a complete listing of features and benefits of the BreathTek UBT, visit meretek.com/physician_testing.asp.

Look for Meretek at these upcoming shows: ACOFP March 14-16 in Kissimmee, FL. and the Nebraska Academy of Family Physicians March 29-31 in Omaha, NE.

(1) American Journal of Managed Care. 2007; 13:1, 37-44.

About Meretek Diagnostics

Located in Lafayette, Colo., Meretek Diagnostics, Inc. is a subsidiary of Otsuka America, a healthcare company engaged in the development of advanced, non-invasive, non-radioactive breath tests and instrumentation. Meretek was founded in 1993 by a group from the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. The company holds exclusive licenses to patents involving the 13C urea breath test technologies, and all of the their products are approved by the FDA.

For more information about Meretek Diagnostics, Inc. and the company's products, including prescribing information, warnings and limitations, visit the Meretek Web site at www.meretek.com.

Source: Meretek Diagnostics

CONTACT:

Dan Snyders

ext. 230

dan@armadamedical.com

Jennifer Hanson

ext. 239

jenniferh@armadamedical.com

Armada Medical Marketing

for Meretek Diagnostics

+1-303-623-1190

Web site: www.meretek.com/

http://meretek.com/physician_testing.asp

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