Editor's Page
Achieving efficiency through lab automation
The following is an excerpt from a new report published by Kalorama Information (New York), “The Worldwide Market for Lab Automation”: “The overused and sometimes misused solution in the quest for efficiency in the clinical lab has been automation. Automation in the laboratory usually means optimizing workflow to increase output, shortening turnaround time in reporting test results, and utilizing less labor. Attempts to accomplish these objectives have focused on applying...
Healthcare reform to benefit IVDs
In March, President Obama signed the healthcare reform bill into law. As previously reported in IVD Technology, industry analysts believe that various provisions in the new law will promote and increase the use of IVDs and will benefit the IVD industry. For example, the law has a provision for value-based purchasing for hospitals, which will encourage them to follow quality standards, many of which involve broader use of selected IVD tests. The law also includes a focus on new forms of...
Assessing the future of immunoassays
A report by Kalorama Information (New York), “The Worldwide Market for In Vitro Diagnostic Tests,” concluded that the future for immunoassays is a mixed bag. In the clinical laboratory, mature assays will show moderate growth while emerging assays will fuel most of the growth in this IVD segment. However, all immunoassays will have to pass the test of medical research to demonstrate their contributions to improving patient outcomes. For example, increased knowledge of disease...
Continually moving forward
          Molecular diagnostics is becoming one of the dominant platforms of clinical laboratory medicine, representing one of the fastest growing segments in the IVD industry. It has emerged fully from research into clinical practice. According to Kalorama Information (New York), the molecular diagnostics market totaled $3.21 billion in revenues in 2007. The market is expected to reach $5.42 billion by 2012 with an estimated annual growth rate of 11%.  ...
Don't overlook the developing world
          At this year's annual meeting of the American Association for Clinical Chemistry (AACC; Washington, DC) in Chicago, the 12th International Market Briefing on global issues in the IVD industry was held. At this briefing, which is cosponsored by IVD Technology, speakers discussed the current status of the IVD markets in various parts of the world, the opportunities for IVD manufacturers in these markets, and the potential hurdles that manufacturers will...
Being innovative while cutting costs
      Several trends in laboratory medicine have affected the development and implementation of automation in lab analyzers during the past few years. Such trends are related to reducing costs, running tests with fewer lab personnel, and maintaining quick turnaround times for test results. IVD manufacturers have been responding to such trends in automation and instrumentation in different ways.   One such trend is automating the preanalytical sample preparation steps...
Cancer bill offers high potential for IVDs
  This editor's page features comments by Glen P. Freiberg, president of RCQ Consulting (San Diego) and a member of IVD Technology's editorial advisory board, on the 21st Century Cancer Access to Lifesaving Early Detection, Research, and Treatment (ALERT) Act:   The ALERT Act is intended as a comprehensive approach to cancer prevention, detection, research, and treatment. Historically, it has been a challenge to obligate insurers to allow coverage for preventive tests, so the...
Holding steady
    EDITOR'S PAGE     Let's take a quick look back at some recent history in the IVD industry. In 2006 and 2007, the industry underwent an unprecedented massive consolidation. The primary player was Siemens Medical Solutions Diagnostics (Tarrytown, NY), which spent a total of more than $14 billion to acquire three top-tier IVD companies: Diagnostic Products Corp., Bayer Diagnostics, and Dade Behring Inc. Other major mergers during this time period included Hologic Inc...
Still an unknown future
    EDITOR'S PAGE     Overall, there are currently two applications for companion diagnostic testing. The first is to narrow the field of applications for drugs in development. Second, companion diagnostics are used to select those therapeutics with the greatest efficacy and the least probability of harmful side effects for particular patients.   According to Kalorama Information (New York City), the trends and factors that are expected to influence the...
Dominating the market
    EDITOR'S PAGE     Since the 1960s immunoassays have contributed enormously to clinical lab medicine. During the past few years, immunoassays of all kinds (e.g., automated, manual, ELISAs, enzyme immunoassays, bead arrays, microarrays) have dominated the IVD market, and have become one of the primary and indispensable tools in diagnosing and monitoring in all areas of medicine. The market potential of immunoassays is now even greater than before. The publication...