New Hepatitis C Assay Completes Siemens Infectious Disease Test Panel for Blood Banks

Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics announced yesterday the launch of its Enzygnost Anti-HCV 4.0 Assay, a hepatitis C laboratory test with high sensitivity and specificity that completes the company’s integrated infectious disease screening panel for blood banks. Now, blood banks of any size can turn to Siemens as a single-source supplier for all of their Enzygnost low, mid and high-volume blood screening testing needs.

Sensitive, specific and efficient infectious disease screening of blood donors ensures the safety of blood products and supports the high quality standards in transfusion medicine. In larger blood banks, where up to 3,500 donations are often analyzed in a typical day, having access to fast, accurate testing solutions is paramount.

The sensitivity and specificity of the new Enzygnost Anti-HCV 4.0 assay, which can produce a test result 30 minutes to one hour faster than competing HCV assays in the microtitration plate (MTP) format, helps reduce the number of false-positive results obtained to fewer than one in 1,000 anti-HCV-negative sera. Combined, the assay’s sensitivity and specificity supports several important benefits, including fewer blood donor deferrals, more donations added to the blood supply, fewer costly reruns and PCR/NAAT testing and earlier treatment options for donors who test positive, improving patient care.

Blood banks gain additional benefits when they run the Enzygnost Anti-HCV 4.0 Assay together with other Siemens Enzygnost screening tests (e.g. HIV, syphilis) on one of a full range of Siemens BEP^® and Quadriga^® infectious disease diagnostics systems. Because all Enzygnost assays follow the same procedures and use the same supplementary reagent components (e.g., washing solution, chromogen solution), fewer products are required onboard the analyzer, thereby simplifying system handling, reducing training efforts and, the potential for human error. Plus, the Anti-HCV 4.0 Assay kit, like all tests in Siemens’ Enzygnost panel, comes complete with a bar code labeling system, making identification of all MTPs, conjugates, substrates and controls automatic, accurate and easy.

For more information about the Enzygnost Anti-HCV 4.0, please follow the company website link below, or click on the ‘request information’ tab.