TUCSON, Ariz., Sept. 25, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Accelerate Diagnostics, Inc. (Nasdaq:AXDX), an in vitro diagnostics company dedicated to providing solutions for the global challenge of drug resistant organisms, today commended the Obama Administration's actions to combat antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and underscored two areas of critical importance.

"Antibiotic stewardship in healthcare settings is essential for fighting these life-threatening infections and reducing the significant cost associated with treating them," said Larry Mehren, CEO of Accelerate Diagnostics. "We fully support the President's initiative to promote stewardship in hospitals, long-term care facilities and nursing homes.

"Early identification of bacteria and determination of their susceptibility to specific antibiotics are essential for informing the appropriate use of existing antibiotics as well as those yet to be introduced," Mehren continued. "Rapid identification combined with high-speed susceptibility testing will enable doctors to target the right bacteria with the right drug, thereby supporting the national strategy to prevent, detect and control illness and death related to infections caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria."

Accelerate Diagnostics has developed a technology platform that combines molecular methods to identify bacteria with high resolution digital microscopy to watch and measure in real time how bacteria respond to antibiotics. "This new approach, featuring high-speed antibiotic susceptibility testing, is a significant advance in the science of microbiology and will play an important role in helping physicians select optimal therapy for their patients," Mehren added. The company seeks to obtain marketing authorization in 2016, at which point the system will be available for deployment in clinical labs across the country.

Dr. Marin Kollef, the Virginia E. & Sam J. Golman Chair in Respiratory Intensive Care Medicine at Washington University, St. Louis, concurs. "The availability of this type of technology will further our shared goal to significantly improve the likelihood of clinical success with initial antibiotic prescriptions, in order to optimize patient outcomes, and improve stewardship of the scarce supply of reliable antibiotics. We encourage Washington to incentivize and equip hospital laboratories so they can deploy these new technologies, improve diagnostic speed and accuracy, and ensure that patients get appropriate therapy as fast as possible."

About Accelerate Diagnostics, Inc.

Accelerate Diagnostics, Inc. (Nasdaq:AXDX) is an in-vitro diagnostics company focused on developing and commercializing innovative systems for the rapid identification and antibiotic susceptibility testing of infectious pathogens. The Company's revolutionary ID/AST instrument utilizes a proprietary culture-free process with both genomic and phenotypic detection technologies that significantly decreases time to result while achieving high sensitivity and specificity. For more information, visit: www.acceleratediagnostics.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains words such as "expects," "shall," "will," "believes" and other similar expressions that are intended to identify forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Safe Harbor Provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements in this announcement are made based on the Company's current beliefs, known events and circumstances at the time of publication and, as such, are subject in the future to unforeseen risks and uncertainties that could cause the Company's results of operations, performance and achievements to differ materially from current expectations expressed in, or implied by, these forward-looking statements. For a full discussion of the Company's risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements, see "Risk Factors" in Item 1A in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K, filed with the SEC on March 7, 2014. In addition, the Company's forward-looking statements could be affected by general industry and market conditions and growth rates. Except as required by federal securities laws, the Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise these forward-looking statements to reflect new events, uncertainties or other contingencies.

CONTACT: For further information, please contact:

         Media Contact:

         Matt Russell

         Russell Public Communications

         520.232.9840

         mrussell@russellpublic.com

         Investor Contact:

         Clare Matschullat

         Blueprint Life Science Group

         415.375.3340 Ext. 106

         cmatschullat@bplifescience.com

Source: Accelerate Diagnostics, Inc.