GOOD NEWS FOR CMTR Copyright 1997 PR Newswire Association, Inc.
PR Newswire
March 17, 1997, Monday - 07:50 Eastern Time
SECTION: Financial News
DISTRIBUTION: TO BUSINESS EDITOR AND MEDICAL EDITOR
LENGTH: 1022 words
HEADLINE: Rapid Microbiology Tests Quickly Rising in Healthcare, Industrial
Markets
BODY:
Infectious disease epidemics and outbreaks linked to contaminated food, such
as the recent E. coli scare, are becoming more frequent. As diseases evolve,
finding new ways to resist vaccines and antibodies, as well as developing new
means of transmission, the ability to quickly and efficiently diagnose these
plagues is a crucial step towards containment.
Rapid microbiology tests can be instrumental in that process, according
to market consultants Frost & Sullivan.
Frost & Sullivan's latest strategic research study, U.S. Rapid Microbiology
Test Markets, explores both the clinical and non-clinical microbial assay
markets. The clinical chapter discusses the diagnostic tests used to detect and
identify infectious agents in the human body, both in vitro and in vivo. The
non-clinical portion examines biotechnology products such as immunoassays,
nucleic acid probes and ATP bioluminescence-based systems that detect pathogens
in food supplies, water supplies and the environment. MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.,
March 17
Rapid microbiology tests are products that test for bacteria, viruses, fungi
and protoza, and are easier and/or faster to use than conventional methods.
"These tests are generally designed to reduce the time, labor and costs of
traditional methods, while improving the quality and effectiveness of the
results," said medical analyst Leanne Constantine.
Rapid clinical tests are a welcome sight to the members of the
medical community, most of which are happy to see the introduction of
inexpensive, fast assays that can be performed in a doctor's office in a matter
of minutes. The tests have become so popular, however, that they are seen as a
threat to other types of assays.
"Manufacturers fear that due to the low price of rapid assays, only a
very small profit margin is available," said medical analyst Tom Ryugo. "Often,
the only businesses that can survive in such an atmosphere are the
large multi-segment companies with concrete financial backing."
One of the most promising areas of development for clinical tests
is point-of-care testing. This offers earlier patient diagnosis,
earlier treatment and savings for patients and third-party payers, while
avoiding costly delays and unnecessary quarantines.
The non-clinical microbiology market is experiencing an enormous amount
of new business opportunities as a result of the expansion of Hazard Analysis
of Critical Control Points systems. HACCP is a management system for
safety assurance that requires industry participants to develop a plan to
end contamination. A large portion of the future growth forecast for
the non-clinical market can be attributed to the introduction of HACCP.
Another innovation expected to continue increasing sales of rapid assays is
ATP bioluminescence, a naturally occurring phenomenon that detects living cells
for contamination control applications. ATP-based systems detect microbial cells
or product residues on contact surfaces and process equipment within minutes,
allowing remedial action to be taken in time to remove potential contamination
hazards.
This competitive market study offers forecasts for a number of clinical and
non-clinical rapid microbiology tests. The clinical section offers forecasts for
the following rapid tests: HIV, gonorrhea, syphilis, chlamydia, herpes,
hepatitis, strep A, strep B, tuberculosis, RSV, influenza,
legionella, mononucleosis, mycoplasma pneumonia, E. coli, H. pylori,
cryptosporidium, giardia, C. difficile, rotavirus, fungal disease, and bacterial
meningitis.
The non-clinical chapter includes: Hyginene monitoring, food-borne pathogen
tests and water-borne pathogen tests.
Companies participating in this market include: 3M Medical Products
Group, Abbott Laboratories, Alexon Inc., Bartels Inc., Beacon Diagnostics,
Becton Dickinson Microbiology Systems, Behring Diagnostics Inc., Binax
Inc., Bio-Orbit Oy, BioChem ImmunoSystems, Biocontrol Systems Inc., Biomerica
Inc., bioMerieux Vitek Inc., BioStar Inc., Biotrace, Boehringer Mannheim
Corp., Calypte Biomedical, Celsis Inc., Charm Sciences Inc. ChemTrak Inc., |
