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Point of Care Testing to Power Growth in Acute Cardiac Diagnostics Market

Posted on: Monday, 6 February 2006, 06:00 CST

LONDON, February 6 /PRNewswire/ -- The laboratory-based segment currently dominates the European acute cardiac diagnostics market. However, market development over the next few years will be driven primarily by the point of care testing (POCT) segment. As troponin testing becomes mainstream and demand for decentralised testing rises, contributions from the POCT segment are set to increase.

At present, POCT comprises less than 15 per cent of the cardiac markers market and continues to grapple with long-standing issues such as high costs, precision and quality control. While technological advances will promote the growing reliability of point of care (POC) devices and support their effective use within cardiac care, costs too are expected to fall to levels where the benefits begin to outweigh the costs.

"There has been limited qualitative assessment of cardiac parameters over the past two years and the total market for acute cardiac diagnostics has been predominantly driven by laboratory-based tests," notes Frost & Sullivan (http://healthcare.frost.com/) Healthcare Analyst Dr. Fiona Rahman. "POCT provides a panel of cardiac tests which has been received successfully by end users indicating that promising growth for this segment and, by extension, the overall market."

As the deployment of POCT in the cardiac marker testing market expands, larger companies will start developing compact bench top devices. At the same time, the presence of technologies capable of linking satellite hospital equipment, such as POC diagnostic devices to central laboratory information management systems, will add further momentum to the uptake of POCT in acute care diagnostics.

"The integration of POCT systems into a hospital department will encourage the ease of data management, says Dr. Rahman. "A machine that will not just run cardiac markers efficiently, but also incorporate bar codes for patient identification and links for management for patient information are required. Connectivity is essential for POCT and is key to its entrance into hospital markers."

From $158.3 million in 2004, the total European acute cardiac diagnostics market is expected to increase to $224 million in 2008, at which stage 20 per cent of the revenues will derive from the POC market segment. In 2011, the total market is projected to amass $278.7 million with POC testing accounting for 24 per cent of these revenues.

Technological improvements that are increasing the availability of cardiac marker tests are also propelling market growth. The analysers available today are faster and easier-to-use than those from five years ago. Moreover, currently available analysers possess the capability of integrating patient information and compiling a database based on patient medical history, test ordering and demographic data.

Such positive trends are being supported by antibodies used to detect the cardiac proteins that are becoming progressively more specific and sensitive to cardiac tissue. Automation has improved the technical performance of the assay and helped reduce the total assay time as well as the overall costs of reagents. Over the next three years, these technological improvements will result in enhanced turnaround times, throughput and ease of which, in turn, will encourage heightened demand for cardiac markers.

Government backing, actively promoting the use of new markers, has further strengthened domestic markets (in Germany, France and the United Kingdom). Sustained government support will continue to stimulate adoption as guidelines and protocols encouraging the employment of novel cardiac markers are fine-tuned and implemented to overcome scepticism from the medical community.

As competition intensifies, market participants will be compelled to add value to their services. Manufacturers will need to educate end users about their products by training the company's sales representatives and field specialists within the clinical setting or recruiting medical professionals, such as cardiologists and clinicians. Investing in public relations, conducting conferences or focus groups that allow interfacing between the clinicians, laboratory technicians, cardiologists, administrators and product specialists will also encourage augmented acceptance of cardiac markers.

If you are interested in a virtual brochure, which provides manufacturers, end-users, and other industry participants an overview of the latest analysis of the Strategic Analysis of the Acute Cardiac Diagnostics Market (B549-55), then send an e-mail to Radhika Menon Theodore, Corporate Communications, at rmtheodore@frost.com with the following information: your full name, company name, title, telephone number, fax number and e-mail address. Upon receipt of the above information, an overview will be sent to you via e-mail.

Background

Frost & Sullivan, a global growth consulting company, has been partnering with clients to support the development of innovative strategies for more than 40 years. The company's industry expertise integrates growth consulting, growth partnership services and corporate management training to identify and develop opportunities. Frost & Sullivan serves an extensive clientele that includes Global 1000 companies, emerging companies, and the investment community, by providing comprehensive industry coverage that reflects a unique global perspective and combines ongoing analysis of markets, technologies, econometrics, and demographics.

Media Contacts: Europe: Radhika Menon Theodore Corporate Communications P: +91(044)42044541 E: rmtheodore@frost.com Americas: Melina Trevino Corporate Communications P: +1-210-247-2440 F: +1-210-348-1003 E: melina.trevino@frost.com India: Surbhi Dedhia Corporate Communications P: +91-22-2832-4705 Ext: 131 E: sdedhia@frost.com Asia Pacific: Jasminder Kaur Corporate Communications P: +65-68900937 E: jkaur@frost.com Australia: Sharmin Jassal Corporate Communications P: +61-2-8247 8900 F: +61-2-9252 8066 E: sjassal@frost.com

Keywords: laboratory-based testing, acute cardiac diagnostics market, Europe, point of care testing, POCT, cardiac troponins, cardiac, cardiologists, troponin testing, decentralised testing, , point of care devices, POC devices, cardiac care, cardiac marker testing, POC diagnostic devices, central laboratory information management systems, acute care diagnostics, cardiac proteins, cardiac tissues, reagents, assays, cardiologists

Database of Key Industry Participants: Dade Behring, Bauer, Beckman Coulter, DPC, Bayer, Roche, Abbott, Biosite, POCT, Spectral Diagnostics

Frost & Sullivan

CONTACT: Media Contacts: Europe: Radhika Menon, Theodore CorporateCommunications, P: +91(044)42044541, E: rmtheodore@frost.com; Americas:Melina Trevino Corporate Communications, P: +1-210-247-2440, F:+1-210-348-1003, E: melina.trevino@frost.com; India: Surbhi Dedhia,Corporate Communications, P: +91-22-2832-4705, Ext: 131 E: sdedhia@frost.com;Asia Pacific: Jasminder Kaur, Corporate Communications, P: +65-68900937, E:jkaur@frost.com; Australia: Sharmin Jassal, Corporate Communications, P:+61-2-8247 8900, F: +61-2-9252-8066, E: sjassal@frost.com

Source: PRNewswire

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