logo
Cepheid Receives Health Canada Licence for Xpert® HIV-1 Viral Load XC

Cepheid Receives Health Canada Licence for Xpert® HIV-1 Viral Load XC

Cision Canada04-06-2025

Next-Generation Molecular Test for Monitoring Viral Load and HIV-1 Infection
SUNNYVALE, Calif., June 4, 2025 /CNW/ -- Cepheid today announced that Health Canada has issued Cepheid a medical device licence for Xpert ® HIV-1 Viral Load XC, a next-generation extended-coverage (XC) test intended to aid in assessing HIV viral load levels, which are used to monitor effectiveness of antiretroviral treatment.
Xpert ® HIV-1 Viral Load XC dual target test provides extended strain coverage ensuring a high level of performance with a simple workflow to improve patient access to the standard of care and help achieve UNAIDS HIV targets by 2030. 1
"Xpert ® HIV-1 Viral Load XC leverages dual target technology to improve detection while maintaining the flexibility to be performed on-demand in as little as 90 minutes." said Vitor Rocha, President of Cepheid. "Access to the test can enhance patient care, as measurement of HIV viral load informs treatment plans while fast results enable earlier interventions with counseling and therapy."
The test is designed for use on any of Cepheid's GeneXpert ® Systems which provide simple, reference lab quality PCR testing on location in laboratory environments at medical centers and hospitals or in community health clinics and physician offices.
Xpert ® HIV-1 Viral Load XC will begin shipping to customers in Canada in June 2025.
Visit https://www.cepheid.com/en_CA for more information.
Malisa et al 2023 Nature Scientifc Reports | (2023) 13:4578
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-31103-y
About Cepheid
Based in Sunnyvale, Calif., Cepheid is a leading molecular diagnostics company that is an operating company within Danaher Corporation's Diagnostics platform. Cepheid is dedicated to improving healthcare by developing, manufacturing, and marketing accurate yet easy-to-use molecular systems and tests. By automating highly complex and time-consuming manual procedures, the company's solutions deliver a better way for institutions of any size to perform sophisticated genetic testing for organisms and genetic-based diseases. Through its strong molecular biology capabilities, the company is focusing on those applications where accurate, rapid, and actionable test results are needed most, such as managing infectious diseases and cancer. For more information, visit http://www.cepheid.com.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Media Advisory - Simultaneous launch of Canadian space technologies Français
Media Advisory - Simultaneous launch of Canadian space technologies Français

Cision Canada

time5 hours ago

  • Cision Canada

Media Advisory - Simultaneous launch of Canadian space technologies Français

LONGUEUIL, QC, June 21, 2025 /CNW/ - Several technologies funded by the Canadian Space Agency under the Space Technology Development Program will be launched into space by SpaceX. These projects are a testament to Canada's leadership in space innovation. EarthDaily Analytics will use high-precision thermal imagers to monitor plant transpiration. The data collected could help farmers make decisions about irrigation, fertilization and crop rotation. It could also provide precise information about areas at greatest risk of wildfires, in order to protect our communities. INO provided infrared cameras as part of this project. Galaxia will launch its first satellite, MÖBIUS-1, a software-defined satellite designed to carry various types of Earth observation sensors. The MÖBIUS constellation could be used for a variety of applications, such as defence, environmental monitoring, agriculture, infrastructure, maritime operations and transportation. GHGSat will add two satellites to its commercial constellation, bringing the company's total to 13 methane detection satellites and one CO 2 detection satellite. Mission Control will test its onboard artificial intelligence (AI) software and machine learning operations system SpacefarerAI™ in partnership with Spire Global. Their Persistence mission aims to show how AI can analyze satellite images directly in space, thereby eliminating the need to send all data to Earth for processing. Xona Space Systems will test Pulsar, a demonstration satellite designed to validate a new generation of satellite navigation from low Earth orbit. This technology could improve precision and reliability of positioning services, including in urban areas, remote areas and the Arctic. Also contributing to the GHGSat and EarthDaily Analytics satellites are ABB 's business unit in Quebec, supplying sophisticated optical sensors, and Xiphos Systems, providing high-performance onboard processors. These innovations demonstrate the ability of Canadian companies to develop innovative technologies that meet the needs of the space program and have strong commercial potential. Media who wish to speak with a Canadian Space Agency expert or a representative from one of these Canadian companies are asked to contact the Media Relations Office.

Argentina's hospitals are overwhelmed as Milei slashes healthcare funding
Argentina's hospitals are overwhelmed as Milei slashes healthcare funding

Canada News.Net

time5 hours ago

  • Canada News.Net

Argentina's hospitals are overwhelmed as Milei slashes healthcare funding

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina: Since taking office in December 2023, Argentine President Javier Milei has implemented sweeping austerity measures that have gutted the nation's once-proud public health system. Known for providing nearly universal free health care, Argentina now faces a public health crisis marked by drug shortages, layoffs, disease outbreaks, and overwhelmed hospitals. Milei's government slashed the national health care budget by 48 percent in real terms and fired over 2,000 Health Ministry workers — 1,400 in just a few days in January. These drastic moves were part of Milei's broader plan to shrink the state and remake Argentina's debt-ridden economy. But the consequences have been swift and devastating for millions of Argentines. Among the most dramatic cutbacks was the dismantling of the National Cancer Institute, which halted early detection programs for breast and cervical cancer. Funding was also frozen for immunization campaigns, severely disrupting vaccine access during Argentina's first measles outbreak in decades. The National Directorate for HIV, Hepatitis, and Tuberculosis lost 40 percent of its staff and 76 percent of its budget, delaying diagnosis and treatment across the country. Emergency contraception and abortion pill distribution have also stopped. María Fernanda Boriotti, president of Argentina's Federation of Health Professionals, described the situation as a health care collapse: "HIV patients without treatment, cancer patients dying for lack of medication, hospitals without resources, health professionals pushed out of the system." Prescription drug prices and private health insurance premiums have surged by 250 percent and 118 percent, respectively, according to official data. Retirees and unemployed citizens, stripped of state-supported plans, now face impossible medical costs. Susana Pecora, 71, said she stopped buying basic groceries to afford her husband's antipsychotic drugs after their plan was canceled. Though Milei campaigned on promises to replace public health care with a U.S.-style insurance system eventually, he hasn't enacted that switch formally. Yet by stripping away services and raising out-of-pocket costs, critics say he's moving Argentina toward that very model. "If you lose your job or get sick, you may have to sell everything to survive," warned Macarena Sabin Paz of the Center for Legal and Social Studies. Milei has aligned closely with U.S. President Donald Trump, pulling Argentina out of the World Health Organization and hosting U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Health Minister Mario Lugones even pledged to reform Argentina's health system in line with Kennedy's "Make America Healthy Again" movement. The fallout has been grim. Argentina's once-lauded childhood immunization program has faltered. This April, the country reported its first measles death in 20 years. Renowned U.S. virologist Dr. Stanley Plotkin called it "an abandonment of public health." Free public hospitals are struggling to cope. In Buenos Aires, demand for care rose by up to 30 percent in early 2025. At La Plata's Rodolfo Rossi Hospital, patients waited hours for basic medications, only to be turned away due to shortages. Pharmacists blame frozen budgets and administrative chaos. Silvana Mansilla, 43, left empty-handed after waiting half a day for thyroid medicine that has doubled in cost to US$22. "Where's the government?" she asked. Doctors are overwhelmed. Hiring freezes have left them covering twice the patient load. At Garrahan Pediatric Hospital in Buenos Aires, 200 professionals have quit since Milei took office, many fleeing to private hospitals or abroad. A May strike by medical residents revealed 70-hour workweeks for $700 a month — wages that have lost half their value due to nearly 200 percent annual inflation. Perhaps the most heartbreaking impact is seen among cancer patients. The government's abrupt closure of DADSE, a federal agency that supplied free cancer drugs, left over 1,500 patients without treatment. More than 60 have since died. A federal judge ordered drug deliveries reinstated, but the government appealed, saying DADSE no longer exists and promising a new system, which has failed to deliver consistently. Desperate patients have turned to underground Facebook groups, where those with leftover medications donate them to others. The groups are constantly shut down for violating platform rules, but always reappear. For patients like Ariel Wagener, a pizza chef with leukemia, this black-market network became a lifeline. After losing access to his $21,000-per-month medication, he was hospitalized with kidney failure. His health improved only after receiving donated drugs from a deceased patient's family. Others weren't so lucky. Alexis Almirón, 22, needed immediate cancer treatment in December. His request reached the government drug bank the day after Milei's inauguration. Months passed with no medicine. His cancer spread rapidly, and he died in March. His mother received a call the day after his funeral: the drugs had finally arrived. "They didn't give him the chance to choose to live," she said. As the health care system unravels, many fear Argentina is trading universal care for a cruel experiment in radical libertarianism — one where survival depends on charity, not policy.

Statement by Prime Minister Carney on National Indigenous Peoples Day Français
Statement by Prime Minister Carney on National Indigenous Peoples Day Français

Cision Canada

time5 hours ago

  • Cision Canada

Statement by Prime Minister Carney on National Indigenous Peoples Day Français

OTTAWA, ON, /CNW/ - "In my first months as Prime Minister, I have been grateful for the opportunity to meet with First Nations, Inuit, and Métis, and I recognize there is much more work to do together. "The government will work in full partnership with Indigenous Peoples – advancing shared priorities such as health care, food security, housing, education, economic prosperity, conservation, climate action, and emergency management to build a better future. Indigenous partnership is a critical component of the One Canadian Economy Act, and shared leadership with First Nations, Inuit, and Métis will be pivotal to the success of building major projects in Canada. "We will move forward together on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Calls to Action, the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls' Calls for Justice, and the implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act. "Supporting Indigenous communities, advancing self-determination, implementing treaties, and creating generational wealth and prosperity are central to our commitment to advancing reconciliation. Through initiatives like the Indigenous Loan Guarantee Program, we're addressing the historical, systemic, and economic barriers that have prevented Indigenous Peoples from participating in – and benefitting from – economic opportunities, particularly in the natural resource sector. "Today, on National Indigenous Peoples Day, and every day, we honour the enduring histories, cultures, and contributions of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis, and we reaffirm our partnership in reconciliation. Together, we can build a better future, a stronger economy, and a legacy that future generations can inherit and carry forward."

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store