Focus Diagnostics Wins Bronze Medical Design Excellence Award (MDEA) in the in vitro Diagnostics Category

Simplexa™ Direct molecular chemistry win marks back-to-back MDEA Awards for diagnostic innovation

Cypress, Calif., August 13, 2012 – Focus Diagnostics Inc., the infectious disease diagnostics business of Quest Diagnostics, today announced that its Simplexa™ Direct Chemistry technology won a bronze award in the in vitro diagnostics category at the 2012 MDEA awards ceremony held May 23. Focus Diagnostics manufactures the Simplexa™ Direct line of molecular test products for use on the 3M™ Integrated Cycler as part of an exclusive global collaboration with 3M (MMM).

This marks the third accolade for the Simplexa/3M technology since its 2009 marketplace debut. In 2011, the Simplexa/3M technology won a bronze Edison Award for new science and medical diagnostic product, based on criteria that included technological innovation and marketplace success, and a gold MDEA award for in vitro diagnostic innovation.

“Receiving back-to-back MDEA awards for the Simplexa chemistry showcases our commitment to providing laboratories with the tools they need to bring sensitive and timely molecular testing closer to the patient,” says John Hurrell, General Manager, Focus Diagnostics, Inc. “Building upon our lab experience, the Simplexa Direct test menu is designed using our proprietary chemistry which eliminates the need for nucleic acid extraction, a step that typically takes up to 90 minutes.”

The MDEA competition recognizes advances in the design of medical products. Presented by UBM Canon, MDEA award winners are selected by an impartial jury on criteria that include design and engineering features that improve healthcare delivery, innovative use of materials and components, and functional innovations that change traditional medical attitudes or practices or offer significant use-related improvements.

Simplexa tests run on the 3M Integrated Cycler, a compact, portable testing platform which can provide test results in as few as 60 minutes. In 2012, Simplexa C.difficile Universal Direct and Simplexa Flu A/B & RSV Direct were both FDA cleared. In May 2010, Simplexa was the first test kit to be FDA cleared for aiding in the detection and differentiation of the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus. Several other Simplexa branded tests, including Dengue, Epstein Barr Virus, Cytomegalovirus and BK viruses, are CE marked and distributed in Europe.

About Focus Diagnostics
Focus Diagnostics, Inc. is an infectious disease diagnostics company, providing infectious disease reference laboratory services to hospitals and laboratories nationwide, and manufacturing and distributing diagnostic products worldwide. Focus Diagnostics develops innovative tests and products to assist physicians in diagnosing infectious diseases, and often provides the first diagnostic tests in the U.S. for emerging diseases, such as West Nile virus and SARS. HerpeSelect® type-specific HSV serology and West Nile Virus DxSelect™ are top-selling Focus Diagnostics products used in laboratories worldwide. Focus Diagnostics is a wholly owned subsidiary of Quest Diagnostics. Visit FocusDx.com.