“The overuse of antibiotics has led to multi-drug resistance as well as a major unnecessary cost burden to our healthcare system,” said David Joseph, Chief Executive Officer of Avisa. “To help fix this problem, there is an urgent need to quickly and accurately diagnose respiratory infections so patients can be properly treated. Avisa’s BreathTest™ has the potential to do just that as a point-of-care breath test that produces highly sensitive results in just ten minutes, enabling healthcare professionals to quickly determine the appropriate antibiotic to use. Current decision making is empirical due to the delay in getting lab results that could take up to 24 to 48 hours.”

Mr. Joseph this week also testified at a public hearing of the Presidential Advisory Council on Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria and how BreathTest™ could potentially help to address this important issue.

ABOUT AVISA PHARMA INC.

Avisa is a clinical stage company that is developing a novel technology that rapidly detects a variety of respiratory pathogens within minutes after the patient inhales its proprietary drug substrate, AV-U13. BreathTest™ is a rapid 10-minute test that screens and detects respiratory infections including pneumonia, tuberculosis, and pulmonary diseases such as COPD and cystic fibrosis with the speed and sensitivity that can also facilitate the monitoring of antibiotic therapy. The AVISAR SPEC™ laser spectrometer, under development by Avisa, incorporates major design advancements that have resulted in a portable, laptop-size detection device that will have enormous utility in point-of-care settings—from rural health clinics in the developing world to modern medical clinics and hospitals. For more information, please visit the Company’s website at www.avisapharma.com.

¹ C. Lee Ventola. The Antibiotic Resistance Crisis, Part 1: Causes and Threats. Pharmacy and Therapeutics. 2015 Apr; 40(4): 277–283.