In vitro diagnostics

The majority of existing healthcare systems all over the world must face the problem of  money shortage. One way to reduce the cost associated with patients’ treatment and to improve the quality of medical care is an investment in diagnostics’ sector. As a matter of fact, the limited funding of in vitro diagnostics (IVD) and the associated research projects are of crucial concern for the Central and Eastern European (CEE) markets. In this region, the approach need to be changed and become more concentrated on solutions, such as IVD, that enable early detection of various diseases.

The IVD encompasses diagnostic tests performed outside of the human body, usually in the laboratory, that are aimed to evaluate patient’s state of health. The tests are based on examination of different body fluids e.g. blood, urine, cerebro-spinal fluid, sweat or tears in order to determine the presence and the exact amount of particular compounds, such as glucose. Currently, IVD is widely applied as it became less sophisticated and the results of the analysis can be obtained in simple assays in test tubes or on glass dishes. It can be used for different purposes starting from population screenings for cancer, going through adjustment of specific therapy for target patient, and ending in everyday usage such as blood glucose monitoring in people with diabetes.

There are several crucial advantages of IVD that make it an invaluable tool in the healthcare diagnostic sector. First of all, it is said to be one of the cheapest diagnostic methods that provides plenty of information about patient’s condition. What is more, due to the fact that the majority of IVD tests are automated and the human factor associated with higher risk of error is reduced, the method is considered as strongly objective and the obtained results are lucid and can be compared in reliable and easy way. Finally, it is a non-invasive approach that can be performed during the whole lifetime to monitor disease progression and the response to applied treatment, simultaneously minimizing pain and discomfort of the patient.

Concerning all aforementioned benefits associated with IVD and its potential, it seems that the contemporary healthcare system could not function without it. In fact, as the society of developed countries ages and the chronic diseases are more prevalent, the IVD will be even more significant than nowadays. It is confirmed by the market analyses predicting that during years 2014-2020 the global IVD market (in 2012 valued at USD 51.64 billion) will increase at compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.4%. A dominant part of the market, approximately 70%, belongs to several IVD segments including immunoassays, clinical chemistry and coagulation tests. Interestingly, the tissue diagnostics is expected to grow in the fastest rate because of rising global incidence of cancer.

North America and Europe are the largest IVD markets in terms of revenue share. In European region, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain and Italy are the major IVD markets. In CEE countries, the diagnostics’ sector together with IVD is still strongly underfunded. The estimations assume that the IVD market in this region will achieve USD 1.8 billion of revenues in 2017. Importantly, because of insufficient funding of public IVD laboratories and their rather poor performance, there is an emerging need of private diagnostic testing in CEE region.

A growing demand for prevention and early detection of diseases is driving the development of IVD all over the world. Such regions as CEE are still during the “transitional stage”. The fastest and most effective way of changing the current situation would be augmentation of IVD public funding, however, to make it real, the resolute actions must be taken by the authorities that responsible for the proper healthcare system functioning.  

Sources:

http://www.edma-ivd.be/index.php?page=About-In-Vitro-Diagnostics

http://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/in-vitro-diagnostics-ivd-market

http://www.frost.com/prod/servlet/press-release.pag?docid=241225432

Maciej Smolarz