IVD Industry Overview
VC investing in IVDs to remain flat
    TRENDS & PERSPECTIVES     According to the National Venture Capital Association's (NVCA) third annual Predictions Survey of 400 venture capitalists conducted at the end of last year, the investment slowdown will continue in 2009. While it is not surprising that investors are keeping a tighter hand on their checkbooks, there is hope for IVD companies and some specific steps they can take to remain attractive to investors. Most respondents to the NVCA survey said there...
Assessing the election aftermath
        With President-elect Barack Obama's victory in last November's presidential election, IVD Technology asked some industry analysts to share their thoughts on the impact of the new Obama administration on the IVD industry and IVD manufacturers. IVD manufacturers are faced with a quadruple change that could affect the industry, and not just a new President. In addition to the Obama administration, Tom Daschle has been designated as the new Secretary of Health...
Glucose testing market expected to grow
    TRENDS & PERSPECTIVES   According to a new report released by Kalorama Information (New York City), “Glucose Monitoring Markets,” the global glucose testing market is estimated to have reached $9 billion in 2007 and is expected to generate $11.36 billion in revenues by 2012. (This market includes professional glucose testing and glucose self-testing.) The World Health Organization (WHO; Geneva) estimates that the number of diagnosed diabetes cases worldwide...
Despite Gutman departure, business as usual at OIVD
    TRENDS & PERSPECTIVES     Gutman After 17 years with FDA, Steven I. Gutman, MD, who has been director of OIVD since helping to establish it in November 2002, has left the office to pursue a career in academia. Gutman will become a professor of pathology and a founding member of the University of Central Florida's new medical school. Don St. Pierre, the associate director for policy and operations at OIVD, will assume Gutman's duties on an interim basis...
The Year in IVDs
          The underlying theme in the IVD industry during the past couple of years has been consolidation. For example, building on its previous acquisitions of Diagnostic Products Corp. and Bayer Diagnostics, Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics (Deerfield, IL) also purchased Dade Behring Inc. for $7 billion. With this acquisition, Siemens solidified its position as one of the biggest IVD companies in the world. Another traditional diagnostic imaging company, General...
IVD Technology 2008-2009 Buyers Guide
        IVD manufacturers might well be forgiven if they do not have ready answers to questions right now about what their product-development challenges will be during the next six to twelve months. The uncertainty in the global economy during the past couple of years has made a shambles of corporate planning in many business sectors. And despite slight improvements in economic conditions, IVD manufacturers continue to feel the pinch of reduced investment and...
Future growth in IVDs to come from emerging markets
According to a new report released by Kalorama Information (New York City), “The Worldwide Market for In Vitro Diagnostics Tests, 6th Edition,” the global IVD market is estimated to have reached $42 billion in 2007 and is expected to grow 6% annually to $56.3 billion by 2012. (This market includes all laboratory- and hospital-based products, and over-the-counter product sales.) North America, Europe, and Japan, account for 44, 30, and 11% of the IVD market respectively, making up 85...
Expanding the role of industry
          Jack Levine is 2008 chair of the American Association for Clinical Chemistry industry division and is a senior clinical consultant at Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics (Tarrytown, NY). Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics is a diagnostic solutions company specializing in performance-driven products and services that assist in personalized healthcare and disease management. He can be reached at jacob.levine @siemens.com. Six years since its...
Finding allies in Congress
  It took 13 years for the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) to be officially signed into law. While the passage of this law should benefit the IVD industry, it raises the question of why it took so long to get signed. This experience with GINA shows that any bills addressing IVD industry issues will continue to encounter difficulties and long waits before they can even come close to getting passed. Legislating is a complex process that involves a lot of backroom deal...
Diabetes IVDs increase to meet growing demand
          After conducting an in-depth analysis of the global diabetes market, BCC Research projected that the current diabetes IVD market of $10.1 billion will increase to $12.4 billion by 2013. According to the subsequent market research report, “Diabetes Therapies & Diagnostics: Global Markets,” diabetes IVDs and therapeutics are poised to become one of the largest markets within the healthcare industry over next five years. Approximately 205 million...