Quest to develop laboratory tests and support public health reporting and laboratory readiness for CDC's preparedness strategy; Company to introduce clinical testing for avian flu later this month based on one of the awards

SECAUCUS, N.J., Oct. 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Quest Diagnostics (NYSE: DGX), a leading provider of diagnostic information services, today announced that it has been awarded several contracts by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to support testing and sustained laboratory readiness for two emerging infectious diseases recently identified in people in the Americas.

The agreements will support the nation's preparedness for avian influenza and Oropouche viruses by ensuring a national commercial laboratory provider is able to quickly supplement public health laboratories in the event there is an infectious diseases outbreak in people. The contracts also provide funding to enable the company to maintain testing readiness, such as for adequate supplies of certain equipment and chemical reagents used to perform the tests, on a sustained basis.

Quest will introduce an immediate response molecular laboratory test to aid in the detection of avian influenza A H5 virus. The new multi-target molecular diagnostic test is intended for use in people suspected of being infected with influenza A H5 virus. The test will be available with a prescription from a provider for clinical purposes at the end of the month.ⁱ Quest's advanced laboratory in San Juan Capistrano, California, developed and will perform the test.

With support from CDC, Quest developed the test as part of our ongoing pandemic response efforts. The test helps detect influenza A H5 virus, including A(H5N1), but does not detect seasonal influenza A subtypes, influenza B or other respiratory viruses. The test is intended to be performed using respiratory or conjunctiva specimens collected from people suspected of being infected with influenza A H5 virus, or who meet the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention clinical and/or epidemiological criteria for testing.ⁱⁱ Quest's patient service centers will not provide specimen collection for the test.

Avian influenza A(H5N1) virus is a subtype of influenza A virus. Quest and many other commercial laboratories provide nationwide testing for influenza A virus, including seasonal virus subtyping, and other respiratory viruses, but not the H5 subtyping needed to identify avian influenza. Today, specimens that test positive for influenza A virus by Quest or another commercial laboratory, and for which the provider has reason to suspect avian influenza, would need to be sent to state/local public health laboratories or CDC for testing to identify an avian influenza virus infection. With the introduction of the new Quest test this month, physicians can now order testing from a national commercial laboratory, increasing access and testing capacity, should testing need increase. Providers would suspect avian influenza virus infection based on the presence of certain flu-like symptoms or exposure to an infected person or animal.

"Emerging diseases like avian influenza require close coordination between the commercial laboratory industry and the CDC and other federal and state agencies to monitor and mobilize a rapid response," said Yuri Fesko, MD, Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at Quest Diagnostics. "We appreciate CDC's commitment to improving preparedness for any potential future emergencies and the support these contracts will provide to enable us to maintain the infrastructure necessary to act quickly when needed to counteract future health threats."

Avian influenza is currently widespread in wild birds worldwide and is causing outbreaks in U.S. poultry and dairy cows with recent sporadic human cases primarily among farm workers exposed to infected animals. While the current public health risk is low, CDC is monitoring the situation closely.

CDC has also awarded Quest a contract to develop diagnostics to aid the detection of Oropouche virus, an emerging virus in the Americas that is spread to people by infected biting midges and some mosquito species.

"While the threat of avian influenza and Oropouche virus to the public remains low, we applaud CDC for its forward-thinking approach to ensuring commercial laboratories are prepared to quickly mobilize should a serious threat to human health emerge," said Elizabeth Marlowe, PhD, Executive Scientific Director at Quest Diagnostics.

About Quest Diagnostics

Quest Diagnostics works across the healthcare ecosystem to create a healthier world, one life at a time. We provide diagnostic insights from the results of our laboratory testing to empower people, physicians and organizations to take action to improve health outcomes. Derived from one of the world's largest databases of de-identifiable clinical lab results, Quest's diagnostic insights reveal new avenues to identify and treat disease, inspire healthy behaviors and improve healthcare management. Quest Diagnostics annually serves one in three adult Americans and half the physicians and hospitals in the United States, and our more than 50,000 employees understand that, in the right hands and with the right context, our diagnostic insights can inspire actions that transform lives and create a healthier world. www.QuestDiagnostics.com.

ⁱ This test is an Immediate Response test and can only be ordered by a licensed healthcare professional (for prescription use only). This test has not been reviewed or authorized by FDA. It was developed and its analytical performance characteristics determined by Quest Diagnostics pursuant to CLIA regulations for clinical purposes.

ⁱⁱ Case Definitions for Investigations of Human Infection with Avian Influenza A Viruses in the United States | Bird Flu | CDC

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SOURCE Quest Diagnostics