Biomerica Gets Federal OK for Stomach Test Kit : * Medificine: The procedure detects antibodies of a bacteria linked to cancer and ulcers. It is seen as a screening method before a biopsy.

Biomerica Inc. said Thursday that it has received federal approval to market a testing kit that the company said will enable physicians to conduct blood tests more economically.

The device, called GAP, for gastritis and peptic ulcers, can detect antibodies of a bacteria that has been called the major cause of stomach cancer and stomach ulcers, said the Newport Beach company.

The three-step testing is similar to those conducted in routine blood testing laboratories, said Zachary S. Irani, marketing manager of Biomerica, which develops test kits to detect various ailments, including allergies, diabetes and certain forms of cancer.

The company claims that the kit has a success rate of 97%. The Food and Drug Administration has approved the test kit for sale to hospitals, research laboratories and doctors’ offices. The company said the kit will cost $225.

Biomerica’s product will compete with a similar kit made by M.A. Bioproducts Inc. of Walkersville, Md., which received FDA approval last month.

The most common method for detecting stomach cancers and ulcers is a biopsy, a procedure that can cost between $400 and $600, Irani said.

“Our kit can be used as a way to screen patients for the presence of the bacteria, and a biopsy can be used later to confirm the presence of the organism,” he added.

Biomerica, whose last profitable year was in 1981, hopes that its new kit will lift the company’s sales. It lost $570,000 on sales of $8.2 million in 1990.

The company is seeking approval for the GAP product in Japan and Taiwan.

Biomerica has acquired and created five biomedical subsidiaries in Newport Beach since 1985. They are: Synorex Inc., Animal Biotech Corp., Self Care Systems Inc., Allergy Immuno Technologies Inc. and Lancer Orthodontics Inc.