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Lumos Diagnostics extends distribution of FebriDx point-of-care test into Belgian market

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By Imelda Cotton - 
Lumos Diagnostics ASX LDX Henry Schein Medical distribution deal
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Lumos Diagnostics (ASX: LDX) has extended a distribution agreement for its FebriDx rapid point-of-care test to include the Belgian market of US healthcare products supplier Henry Schein Medical.

FebriDx is designed to identify viral versus bacterial acute respiratory infections within 10 minutes from a fingerstick blood sample and can be used to help accurately manage infectious patients in primary care, urgent care, emergency departments, paediatric and other outpatient settings.

Earlier this month, Lumos signed an agreement with Henry Schein subsidiary Regional Health Care Group to distribute FebriDx to markets in Australia and New Zealand.

Wider audience

Lumos Chief Executive Officer Doug Ward said the latest agreement extension would make FebriDx available to a wider European audience.

“We are pleased to continue to partner with Henry Schein in various countries to provide access to FebriDx and help address the global challenge of antimicrobial resistance,” he said.

“Our test can provide clinicians with rapid and accurate information about the nature of a particular infection and help them make more informed decisions about antibiotic use, which we believe will ultimately benefit individual patients and public health.”

Henry Schein currently distributes FebriDx in the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, the UK and the US, having expanded into the Belgian market in 2023 to serve general practitioners and midwives.

Paediatric study

In April, Lumos confirmed positive results from a FebriDx study conducted at Spain’s Sant Joan de Déu Hospital on 216 paediatric patients with acute febrile respiratory infection.

The study concluded that the test could be a useful tool for optimising antibiotic use in febrile respiratory illnesses and potentially improve patient management by decreasing the need for chest X-rays.

Mr Ward said the study results supported the use of FebriDx as a tool in emergency departments.

“Emergency paediatricians know that in most cases, febrile processes correspond to viral conditions, but despite this, the correct diagnosis is still a major and frequent challenge,” he said.

“If FebriDx can be useful in diagnosing conditions like pneumonia quickly and accurately, it means we can use the right treatment tools straight from diagnosis, potentially reducing recovery times and stress for these kids and their families.”

Major health threat

Research shows that antimicrobial resistance is currently one of the greatest threats to public health.

An independent UK study published in the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy showed the use of FebriDx in primary care environments could lead to a reduction in antibiotic prescriptions for patients with lower respiratory tract infections.