$29 Billion In Vitro Diagnostics Market Seen for 2007

The in vitro diagnostics (IVD) market generated revenues of nearly US$20 billion in 2000 and is projected to surge to more than $29 billion by 2007, according to a new analysis from Frost & Sullivan entitled "World In Vitro Diagnostic Technologies Markets.”

In vitro diagnostics offer early, accurate diagnosis of diseases, but a lack of comprehensive laboratory automation has slowed the evolution of absolute efficiency, according to Frost and Sullivan's analysis. While automation has made important progress in recent years, there is a strong, often-overlooked need for automation in laboratory specimen processing, prioritizing, and preparation. The workload in this part of the IVD system is often erratic, making it a difficult section to automate. As a result, operations may slow down and experience delays that interrupt the smooth flow necessary for overall efficiency. Eventually, this results in a bottleneck within the processing section, and this constriction may cause inefficiency within other parts of the IVD procedures.

"In order to improve laboratory efficiency, efforts should be made to develop at least a partially automated system for the processing section,” said Frost & Sullivan analyst Kelly Westfall. "Until a reliable system can be integrated in processing, facilities will not fully realize how effectively their current automated workstations are operating.”




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