Diagnostics for COVID-19

Invitro diagnostics growth

“Our clients have seen a huge increase in demand for their products,” says Sean Coombs, Med Tech Technical Director, PM Group. “These are the kits themselves and the ingredients for test kits – not just for COVID-19 but also for all sorts of other diagnostics.”

There are many types of COVID-19 tests available now. Since early 2021 more than 300 COVID-19 tests and sample collection devices have received emergency use authorisations from the FDA. “But all tests are not created equal and different tests are effective for different applications”, says Sean.

“False negative COVID-19 test results put people at risk of delayed treatment, lack of symptom monitoring, and increase the risk of an infected person unknowingly spreading the virus to others. It’s important for us all to know how effective a test is at different stages of infection.

Testing is needed for ongoing public health surveillance, as we monitor the impact of the introduction of vaccines. Without diagnostics, we cannot assess how well vaccines are really working. Without them we won’t know whether there is still a need for further vaccine development efforts.

Today, testing remains the only effective tool for containing the pandemic to save lives and allow economies to reopen safely as the vaccines are rolled out. Tomorrow, testing will be needed to enable the success of the global vaccination campaigns. As a result this market looks set to see continued growth for a long time to come.”