Contact: Barbara Kalavik
BD Public Relations
(201) 847-4209
Email: barbara_kalavik@bd.com

Sparks, MD USA (June 02, 2008) --

BD Diagnostics, a segment of BD, today announced the U.S. launch of the BD BACTEC™ FX Blood Culture System for the detection of bloodstream infections. This new system improves clinical decision-making and laboratory workflow by markedly improving blood culturing practices with real-time, remotely accessible, actionable results that can enhance patient care.

“The new BD BACTEC FX System responds to customer requests for an efficient blood culture workflow process by reducing hands-on time and enhancing blood culture observation in and out of the microbiology lab,” said David Panneton, Vice President WW Marketing, BD Diagnostics – Diagnostic Systems. “It is the result of 40 years of blood culturing expertise and customer interaction, with more than 10,000 blood culture instruments installed worldwide.”

The system enables remote observation of blood culture data from outside the microbiology department through integration with the BD EpiCenter™ Microbiology Data Management System. This innovative capability allows clinician access to laboratory results during any shift and provides a visible and audible alarm on the remote BD EpiCenter™ client or on an existing computer monitor in a more highly occupied area of the lab. All of the information is available by fax, e-mail, mobile phone text messaging or beeper to any off-site healthcare professional. Lab personnel no longer need to interrupt evening or midnight workflow to repeatedly check the microbiology department for positive blood cultures.

By providing data access at the same remote computer that provides the alarm, the system facilitates immediate decision-making. With the information provided, clinicians can initiate appropriate next steps to diagnose the infection, such as performing a Gram stain, subculture, or direct identification of methicillin-susceptible or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus with the BD GeneOhm™ Staph SR assay.These steps could lead to earlier appropriate clinical decisions for effective antimicrobial interventions.

Multi-source data integration provides for comprehensive reporting capabilities across all BACTEC FX and BACTEC 9000 blood culture instruments, eliminating the need for manual report consolidation on more than five instruments. Data from up to numerous BACTEC FX instruments can be consolidated into one reporting system with the BD EpiCenter system.

The BD BACTEC FX system maintains the proven high performance and instrument reliability of its predecessor, the BD BACTEC™ 9000 System. It retains the fluorescent technology representing excellence in blood culture isolate recovery, along with exceptional instrument and media performance. The BACTEC FX System has a compact and versatile system design, It offers a 200-vial benchtop unit or a full 400-vial stack that includes an embedded, centralized computer - all in a highly compact 24-inch linear space which represents the smallest and most reliable design available. For more information, visit: www.bd.com/ds.

About BD

BD, a leading global medical technology company that manufactures and sells medical devices, instrument systems and reagents, is dedicated to improving people’s health throughout the world. BD is focused on improving drug therapy, enhancing the quality and speed of diagnosing infectious diseases, and advancing research and discovery of new drugs and vaccines. The Company’s capabilities are instrumental in combating many of the world’s most pressing diseases. Founded in 1897 and headquartered in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey, BD employs approximately 28,000 people in approximately 50 countries throughout the world. The Company serves healthcare institutions, life science researchers, clinical laboratories, industry and the general public. For more information, please visit www.bd.com.