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The World is Running Out of Effective Antibiotics

In the global race against antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and related healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), we provide diagnostic solutions that quickly and accurately identify pathogens to enable the right isolation and treatment before it's too late.
Join us in the race - MORE results, LESS spread.

AMR Posts on Insight Hub

True Scale of the AMR Threat

By the year 2050, it is estimated that 10 million people will die annually because of drug-resistant infections.1 Following recently published data in the landmark Lancet GRAM report, we know we are now far closer to this figure than ever realized.2

AMR Stats
Video

What is "The Antibiotic Apocalypse"?

The Antibiotic Apocalypse. It’s more dangerous than we thought.

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Video

What is "The Antibiotic Apocalypse"?

The Antibiotic Apocalypse. It’s more dangerous than we thought.

COVID-19: AMR Legacy

The COVID-19 pandemic has elevated concerns over AMR and antibiotic-associated adverse events, with surges in antibiotic prescribing, hospitalizations, and drug-resistant bacterial transmissions.6,7

hospital admitted patients with secondary infection - 6.9%

COVID-19 hospital-admitted patients with a secondary bacterial infection.6

COVID-19 hospital-admitted patients who received antibiotics - 72%

COVID-19 hospital-admitted patients who received antibiotics.6

COVID-19 ICU-admitted patients who received antibiotics.

COVID-19 ICU-admitted patients who received antibiotics.8

Future Preparedness

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, PCR testing emerged as the superior assay format in terms of accuracy and sensitivity, forming the backbone of nationwide screening regimens.9

Most hospital laboratories now have the capability, awareness, and even the infrastructure to carry out molecular testing, so that shifting from culture to molecular-based workflows to accelerate turnaround times is more feasible than ever before.

Outbreak Risks

Superbug outbreaks and AMR pose one of the greatest challenges to the healthcare systems, and national elective recovery plans. With the right test, quickly and accurately identify pathogens in under one hour* to enable the right isolation and treatment, keeping wards open, reducing hospital costs, and stopping the spread of resistance.

Outbreak Risks Graph

Cost breakdown from a single outbreak of a rapidly spreading superbug, carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales (CPE), which exceeded $1,000,000 over 10 months.10

Fight AMR & Superbugs with Fast & Accurate PCR in ~1 Hour*

On-demand identification with the GeneXpert® system's fast PCR Xpert® tests help healthcare professionals reduce onward transmission of resistant bacteria throughout the patient pathway and optimize appropriate therapy management, helping prevent the spread of pathogens and resistance.

AMR & Superbugs
AMR bed icon

Ensure the right patient is in the right bed with the right treatment for better patient outcomes

AMR-patient in mask icon

Rapidly identify carrier status to limit transmission and guide prescribing for optimized stewardship

Hospital icon

Standardize quality PCR diagnostic access across healthcare networks for reduced health inequalities

Testing in 3 Easy Steps: Sample-In, Answer-Out Technology

1

Insert swab into sample reagent vial and break

2

Transfer sample to cartridge

3

Insert cartridge and start test

Refer to the Cepheid test’s package insert for full details of supported sample types and specimen collection methods

Product Resources

AMR Info Brochure

GeneXpert Systems Brochure​

US-IVD Xpert Test Menu

CPE Literature Bibliography

AMR Info Brochure

Download

GeneXpert Systems Brochure​

Download

US-IVD Xpert Test Menu

Download

CPE Literature Bibliography

Download
Video

Dr. Fred Tenover: Carbapenemases & Xpert® Carba-R​

Dr. Fred Tenover discusses the challenges and solutions to managing the growing threat of CPE, including Xpert® Carba-R, a versatile test that can be used as a surveillance screening test for infection control, an antibiotic resistance test for carbapenemases, and an antimicrobial stewardship tool.​

Watch now
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Video

Dr. Fred Tenover: Carbapenemases & Xpert® Carba-R​

Dr. Fred Tenover discusses the challenges and solutions to managing the growing threat of CPE, including Xpert® Carba-R, a versatile test that can be used as a surveillance screening test for infection control, an antibiotic resistance test for carbapenemases, and an antimicrobial stewardship tool.​

Take the first step, let’s discuss your 

AMR stewardship plan

Contact our experts

Related Webinars

Webinar

From Detection to Decision: Stewarding Multiplex GI Panel and Targeted Testing Results in Clinical Practice

This webinar will provide a stewardship‑focused framework for optimizing GI infection testing in the clinical laboratory. Dr. Moore, Associate Professor in the Department of Medical Laboratory Science at Rush University, will review best practices for selecting between multiplex GI panels and targeted stand‑alone tests such as C. difficile and norovirus.

More...
Watch now

Webinar

Reimbursement for GI Panels: Navigating Coding, Payer Coverage, and Payment

Join us for a focused webinar on gastrointestinal (GI) panel reimbursement, led by Jack Sawyer, Senior Director of Value & Access at Cepheid, alongside Dr. Thomas Goss, Managing Partner and Co‑Founder of BeaconOne Healthcare Partners®. Together, they will review coverage landscapes for GI panel testing and discuss important considerations for reimbursement across various sites of service.

More...
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Webinar

C. difficile Is Not Just Another GI Pathogen: Why Testing Strategy Matters

C. difficile remains one of the most complex and consequential causes of infectious diarrhoea worldwide. As a toxin‑mediated disease with high rates of asymptomatic colonization, detection of the organism alone does not confirm active infection. This makes diagnostic strategy critical. This global educational webinar will explore why getting C. difficile diagnostics right matters for patients, clinicians, laboratories, and healthcare systems.

More...
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Webinar

Optimizing Use of GI Panels - Practical Stewardship Strategies

This webinar provides a practical framework to help laboratories determine when multiplex GI panels are appropriate versus when stand-alone tests offer greater clinical value. It compares methods for GI pathogen detection to highlight differences in turnaround time, labor needs, and diagnostic relevance.

More...
Watch now

Webinar

Norovirus: Biological Insights, Clinical Strategies, and Sustained Readiness

Norovirus is a viral illness that is the most common cause of acute gastroenteritis globally (AGE), causing an estimated 685 million cases of AGE annually, including 200 million cases in children under 5 years (WHO – Norovirus, Nov. 2025). Our expert panel will explore the biology behind transmission and severity, discuss emerging strains, and share evidence-based clinical strategies for diagnosis, management, and outbreak control. This session empowers clinicians to proactively manage norovirus challenges, ensuring effective patient care and operational resilience.

More...
Watch now

Webinar

Diagnosis of Clostridiodes difficile Infection

Clostridiodes difficile infection (CDI) remains a significant public health concern in the United States, with an estimated 450,000 cases and 35,000 deaths annually. There are gaps in laboratory diagnosis and management, including the need for improved test specificity for symptomatic diseases over asymptomatic colonization and the use of multistep testing to enhance specificity.

More...
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Related Publications

Document

Impact of different carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales screening strategies in a hospital...

Despite higher initial laboratory PCR costs, savings were made elsewhere through rapidly expediting test results, as well as improving the patient’s experience. A reduction in bed-days lost due to CPE was observed when on-demand molecular screening was introduced.

More...
Read now

Document

An outbreak of two strains of OXA-48 producing Klebsiella pneumoniae in a teaching hospital

Reliance on culture and clinical specimens, in particular for OXA-48’s, can be insensitive and lead to late recognition of a problem. Pre-emptive screening of high-risk patients with fast PCR provided an effective and pragmatic solution

More...
Read now

Document

Active Surveillance of Carbapenemase-Producing Organisms (CPO) Colonization...

The introduction of on-demand, accurate and easy-to-use PCR testing resulted in a significant decreasing trend in both colonisation and infection rates (p<0.05)

More...
Read now

Document

Reducing rates of Clostridium difficile infection by switching to a stand-alone NAAT with clear sampling criteria

Rapid and sensitive commercial PCR as a stand-alone assay together with clear sampling guidance offers an optimal approach to patient management and best use of limited isolation facilities.

More...
Read now

Document

Detection of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Infections Using Molecular Methods

While culture methods remain important due to the need for extended antimicrobial susceptibility testing, PCR-based methods offer more rapid results, which reduces the time to optimal antimicrobial therapy

More...
Read now

Document

Performance of the Xpert® Carba-R v2 in the daily workflow of a hygiene unit in a country with a low prevalence of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae

On-demand PCR demonstrated excellent performance, and reduced time to result versus culture from 24–48 hours to <1 hour, enabling rapid cohorting of carriers and de-escalation of negative patients. The PCR assay is well adapted for rapid screening of high-risk patients even in low prevalence regions

More...
Read now

Document

Can real-time polymerase chain reaction allow a faster recovery of hospital activity in cases of an incidental discovery of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae and vancomycin-resistant Enterococci carriers?

The fast and actionable negative predicative value utilising fast PCR enabled early decision making and avoided the need for x3 weekly culture screening, enabling more appropriate bed management

More...
Read now

Document

Evaluation of Xpert Carba-R Assay for the Detection of Carbapenemase Genes in Gram-Negative Bacteria

Meta-analysis performance evaluation concluded the on-demand PCR assay is a proven and efficient methodology for the detection of he “big five” carbapenemase gene families, and could act as the new gold standard

More...
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Related Videos

Video

AMR & Carbapenemases

In this short film produced for Cepheid by BBC StoryWorks Commercial Productions and presented by MedTech Europe, Prof. José Artur Paiva (Director, Intensive Care Medicine Service, CHUSJ, Portugal) discusses the important role of fast PCR testing in fighting the growing threat of AMR and CPE.

Watch now
Video

Carbapenemases

Dr. Tim Neal, Infection Control Doctor at Liverpool Clinical Laboratories, details how fast molecular diagnostic solutions are critical to staying ahead of the emerging threat of CPE.

 

 

Watch now
Video

Carbapenemases

Dr. Thierry Nass, Co-Director of the French National Reference Center for Antibiotic Resistance, details the increasing global threat of CPE, and growing role of fast molecular testing to identify and limit the spread of resistance.

 

Watch now
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Video

AMR & Carbapenemases

In this short film produced for Cepheid by BBC StoryWorks Commercial Productions and presented by MedTech Europe, Prof. José Artur Paiva (Director, Intensive Care Medicine Service, CHUSJ, Portugal) discusses the important role of fast PCR testing in fighting the growing threat of AMR and CPE.

Video

Carbapenemases

Dr. Tim Neal, Infection Control Doctor at Liverpool Clinical Laboratories, details how fast molecular diagnostic solutions are critical to staying ahead of the emerging threat of CPE.

 

 

Video

Carbapenemases

Dr. Thierry Nass, Co-Director of the French National Reference Center for Antibiotic Resistance, details the increasing global threat of CPE, and growing role of fast molecular testing to identify and limit the spread of resistance.

 

PCR Tools to Fight AMR

Xpert® Carba-R

Xpert® Carba-R

Xpert® Carba-R is a qualitative, on-demand real-time PCR test for the detection and differentiation of KPC, NDM, VIM, OXA-48 and IMP in 48-minutes
View Solutions
Xpert® MRSA NxG

Xpert® MRSA NxG

Accurate, Fast, On-demand PCR Test That Detects MRSA Directly from Nasal Swabs
View Solutions
Xpert® C. difficile/Epi

Xpert® C. difficile/Epi

45-minute detection & differentiation of Clostridium difficile & the Epidemic 027 strain
View Solutions
Xpert® vanA

Xpert® vanA

The first rapid & accurate test to assist with VRE surveillance
View Solutions
Xpert® SA Nasal Complete

Xpert® SA Nasal Complete

Pre-surgical S. aureus and MRSA in about an hour
View Solutions
Xpert® MTB/RIF

Xpert® MTB/RIF

Accurate Detection of MTB and Rifampin Resistance Mutations
View Solutions

Implement your Antimicrobial Screening 

& Stewardship Program

Contact our experts

References

US-IVD In Vitro Diagnostic Medical Device. May not be available in all countries.
For COVID-19: For use under an Emergency Use Authorization in the United States.
* Turnaround times vary by test. See individual Product Inserts for specific turnaround times.
^ For positive MRSA results with early assay termination. Otherwise, full runtime is 70 minutes.
# For positive Norovirus results with early assay termination. Otherwise, full runtime is 90 minutes.

  1. World Healt Organization (WHO). 2019. New report calls for urgent action to avert antimicrobial resistance crisish. Accessed March 2022. https://www.who.int/news/item/29-04-2019-new-report-calls-for-urgent-action-to-avert-antimicrobial-resistance-crisis
  2. Murray C, et al. Global burden of bacterial antimicrobial resistance in 2019: a systematic analysis. The Lancet. 2022 Feb;399(10325):629-655
  3. CDC 2019 Antibiotic Resistance Threats Report. https://www.cdc.gov/antimicrobial-resistance/data-research/threats/index.html#:~:text=More%20than%202.8%20million%20antimicrobial,million%20infections%20and%2048%2C000%20deaths
  4. ASM AMR Fact Sheet. https://asm.org/asm/media/policy-and-advocacy/asm-amr-factsheet-2025.pdf
  5. MedTech Europe. 2014. Healthcare-Associated Infections Brochure. Accessed Feb 2021. https://www.medtecheurope.org/resource-library/hai-brochure/
  6. Langford B, et al. Bacterial co-infection and secondary infection in patients with COVID-19: a living rapid review and meta-analysis. Clin Microbiol Infect. 2020 Dec;26(12):1622-1629
  7. Belvisi V, et al. Impact of severe acute respiratory syndrome coro navirus-2 (SARS CoV-2) pandemic on carbapenemase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae (KPC-Kp) prevention and control program: convergent or divergent action? J Hosp Infect. 2020 Dec;109:29-31
  8. Pritchard M, et al. International Severe Acute Respiratory and Emerging Infections Consortium, COVID-19 Report: 8 June 2020. medRxiv. Accessed Feb 2021. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/343217999_ISARIC_COVID-19_Clinical_Data_Report_8_June_2020
  9. Laboratory testing for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in suspected human cases: interim guidance, 19 March 2020. Accessed November 2022. https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/331501
  10. Otter J, et al. Counting the cost of an outbreak of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae: an economic evaluation from a hospital perspective. CMI. 2016 Oct;23(3):188-196.