Europe to benefit from USA consumer demand for health diagnostic testing, says report

Europe is set to be the first to reap the benefit from the consumer diagnostics revolution. However the driver for the explosion of the market will come predominantly from the USA.

These are the predictions to come from a two-part report on the US and the European diagnostics workshop, which polled opinion from 32 pharmaceutical and diagnostic experts in the USA and Europe.

The report, by Cambridge Consultants, identified that in Europe, and particularly countries with a state run healthcare system, the industry's growth will occur to reduce pressure on the health service.

Experts in the US, however, believed the driver for growth in their home market would come from a combination of two principle factors; the growing knowledge of the population, particularly amongst the "internet generation", and the country's healthcare reimbursement practice. The market growth in the USA, however, will be limited by FDA regulations, taking an expected three to five years for diagnostics product approval.

The conclusion of delegates on both sides of the Atlantic did, however, draw parallels on the future of the industry in terms of the technology and the way it is deployed. Principally pharmacists and their currently underused expertise will be critical to administering and interpreting several qualitative tests, freeing resources for the physician.

Commenting on other key factors that will affect this new market, Professor Chris Price from Oxford University, said: "For commercial success, diagnostic firms will have to understand consumer needs. This will most likely happen through collaboration with consumer companies. Furthermore, evidence of the test's analytical performance and effectiveness will be needed along with robust guidance and recommended actions to establish the sound reputation of this new market."

The need for simple, reliable and foolproof tests was also shared by both groups. However, the required level of a test's accuracy would vary according to the type of test - a screening test for cancer must be more accurate and have more support accompanying it than a test for body fat.

Dr Simon Burnell, head of Cambridge Consultants" diagnostics group, said: "Worldwide, the industry hasn't fundamentally changed since the late eighties and most of the current emphasis is still on glucose and pregnancy tests. But with advances in technology coupled with increased consumer demand for information, we could be on the verge of an explosive new market in consumer-based diagnostic products.

"It's possible to see, and many of the delegates commented upon, a changing landscape where it's as simple to check one's health as it is to monitor one's stocks and shares.

"What will need to be put in place, however, is advice and support so that results are actionable. Aside from the pregnancy test, a simple yes / no answer will probably not be good enough. In all cases the result of the test should be presented in a way that will allow easy interpretation and an appropriate action suggested."