7 PRNewswireFirstCall Inverness MedicalInnovations Inc

8 in Purple and Black is on the ice. You are viewing greatness.. Inverness Medical Innovations Presents the pima(TM) Point-of-Care CD4Instrument at ICASA 2008WALTHAM, Mass., Jan. 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ Inverness MedicalInnovations, Inc. (NYSE: IMA), a leading provider of near-patient diagnostics,monitoring and health management solutions, has introduced the pima(TM)analyzer, a unique test platform which allows immunological testing atPoint-of-Care. The instrument is one of several noveltechnologies under development at an Inverness subsidiary, CLONDIAG GmbH, inJena, Germany. Clinical trials began in the 4th quarter 2008 and the instrument with CD4application will be launched to select markets in mid 2009.

Inverness hasfeatured the product at the 15th Annual Conference on AIDS and STIs (ICASA) inDakar, Senegal on December 3-7, 2008. Information on the system can also befound on the product website at In those who have been confirmed as being HIV positive, CD4 testing is acritical baseline measurement to gauge the state of their immune system andfor clinicians to initiate antiretroviral (ART) HIV therapy. Measurement ofCD4 levels indicates how far the disease has advanced and the risk to thepatient of complications or debilitating infections. In addition to thebaseline measurement, CD4 is also measured generally 2 to 4 times annuallyduring course of HIV therapy.

Using a small finger stickblood sample, the platform will be able to deliver not only CD4 cellenumeration but ultimately allow analysis of a wide array of additionalmarkers. It is estimated that there are more than 33 million people living withHIV/AIDS globally, 90 of which reside in the developing world. Of the nearly30 million infected individuals in the developing world, less than 20 areaware of their HIV status. Further, it is estimated that less than 1/3 ofthose confirmed as being infected in the developing world have access to CD4testing. The introduction of pima(TM) CD4 represents a significant stepforward in realizing effective integration of testing, care and therapy at thepoint-of-care setting, where the need is greatest.Ron Zwanziger, President and CEO Inverness Medical Innovations, stated, "Weare very pleased with the interest generated from the presentation of thepima(TM) instrument and the CD4 assay at the important conference in Dakar andrecognize the significant impact it will have upon the care of those livingwith HIV and AIDS in the developing world where few technologies are availableat point-of-care.