binx health and Mass General Hospital Study Shows Significant Positive Impact on Antibiotic Stewardship in Sexual Health

Randomized Controlled Study Shows 63% Reduction in Inappropriate Antibiotic Treatment with the binx io. Molecular point of care platform

binx health, a healthcare technology and diagnostics company focused on making routine testing convenient, today announced key findings from a new Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) study designed to assess the real-world impact of Point of Care (“POC”) testing for Chlamydia trachomatis (“CT”) and Neisseria gonorrhoeae (“NG”) testing in symptomatic patients presenting at a sexual health clinic.

The study comes on the heels of The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (“FAO”), the United Nations Environment Program (“UNEP”), the World Health Organization (“WHO”) and the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) welcoming a declaration made at the UN General Assembly meeting, which included the target to reduce human deaths from AMR by 10% by 2030ⁱ. In the USA, antibiotic stewardship has become even more critical since the emergence of new multidrug-resistant gonorrhea strains in Massachusetts in 2023. In response, CDC now recommends the use of high doses of the antibiotic ceftriaxone for treatmentⁱⁱ, making rapid and accurate identification of gonorrhea (NG) even more important to appropriately identify and treat those who are indeed infected and avoiding over treatment in those who are negative.

Trials conducted as part of the study focused on comparing the outcomes of POC testing vs Standard of Care (“SOC”) testing as well as key outcomes associated with empiric antibiotic use per patient, time to results, time to etiologic treatment, duration of clinic visit, and implementation potential. The accuracy of binx CT/NG test demonstrated sufficient accuracy to be considered for replacing gram stain SOC testing for both males and females delivering rapid nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT) results 3.75 days faster than the state lab and reduced inappropriate antibiotic treatment by 63%.

“Accurate, rapid test results are incredibly helpful for patients and providers,” said Dr. Jana Jarolimova, MD MPH, Infectious Disease Physician, Massachusetts General Hospital. “When clinicians are able to quickly and accurately prescribe treatments in clinic, we can better manage their STIs and ultimately, help patients experience better outcomes.”

Today, thirty-five million CT/NG tests are processed annually at central laboratoriesⁱⁱⁱ, with most patients leaving the clinic before results are ready. Under this traditional care model, patients who are subsequently determined to be positive for chlamydia or gonorrhea may not return for treatment once they leave the clinic, leading to further infection spread and comorbidities.

Findings from the study confirmed that patients want to have their test results before they leave the clinic. 80% of patients acknowledged that they would be willing to wait in clinic for their rapid PCR POC results. Importantly, POC testing can have a dramatic impact on treatment accuracy and improved Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (“HEDIS”) scores as a standardized measure used to assess the quality of health plans and clinician performance. The 10% improvement observed by MGH for appropriate treatment observed when using the binx CT/NG test over SOC demonstrates positive potential to improve HEDIS scores long term.

"Our mission at binx health is to be a key proponent that improves STI care,” said Michael Karsonovich, President of binx health. “The ability to collaborate with Mass General specialist sexual health clinic with this study is a fantastic opportunity to demonstrate how POC testing can truly move the needle in STI diagnosis and treatment. This study allows us to leverage our proprietary technology to identify and assess the benefits of testing and treating in the same visit and the need for transformative technology to help tackle the rise of these infections."

About binx health

binx health is a healthcare technology and clinical diagnostics company focused on innovating solutions to improve routine testing and convenience, providing timely results to improve patient care. The binx io point-of-care molecular platform is the first ever FDA-cleared, CLIA-waived point-of-care system for the detection of chlamydia and gonorrhea in both males (urine) and females (vaginal swab) that provides central lab performance results in about 30 minutes. The binx io platform is highly flexible, easy to use, and enables rapid testing and treatment in a single patient visit. For more information, visit https://mybinxhealth.com/

ⁱ https://www.who.int/news/item/26-09-2024-world-leaders-commit-to-decisive-action-on-antimicrobial-resistance

ⁱⁱ https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6950a6.htm

ⁱⁱⁱ Huang W, Gaydos CA et al (2012). Comparative effectiveness of a rapid point-of-care test for detection of Chlamydia trachomatis among women in a clinical setting. Sex Transm Infect. 2013 Mar;89(2):108-14. doi: 10.1136/sextrans-2011-050355. Epub 2012 Sep 14. PMID: 22984085; PMCID: PMC3671871. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3671871/

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