Frost & Sullivan

Point-of-Care Testing Presents Growth Opportunities for a Cross-section of Companies

The global healthcare industry’s shift towards outcome-based delivery presents tremendous opportunities for agile participants in the POCT (Point-of-Care Testing) market. Europe has shown a marked preference for POC despite diversity in the regulatory and reimbursement environment across countries. Patients also place a greater emphasis on monitoring their own wellness ahead of physician intervention, which makes the region’s POCT market particularly attractive. Already, disruptive technologies in molecular biology and DNA sequencing are improving the specificity and variety of services that are available. Further, the focus on connected health offers growth opportunities for a cross-section of players ranging from original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to data integrators and technology vendors in the POCT informatics segment.

Recent analysis from Frost & Sullivan, Western Europe Point-of-Care Testing (POCT) Market, finds that the market was worth $2.90 billion in 2015 and expects this to reach $3.85 billion by 2020. The study covers POCT for blood glucose, HbA1c, cholesterol, blood gas and electrolyte, drugs of abuse, infectious diseases, pregnancy, haematology, cardiac, coagulation, foecal occult (FOBT) and urinalysis across the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, France, Spain, Benelux and Scandinavia. Emergency departments are the major adopters of POCT due to its rapid turnaround times and the push to lower admission rates in hospitals.

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Given the high incidence of cancer and chronic diseases like chronic myocardial infarction (CMI) and diabetes that require continuous monitoring, demand for POCT will steadily increase in Western Europe. However, stakeholders must stay abreast of market challenges as well as new avenues for growth that capitalize on emerging technological building blocks such as lab on chip and IT enhancements including middleware connectivity.

“Miniaturization of devices, promising applications in molecular diagnostics, oncology and antimicrobial resistance; and increased focus on data connectivity are fuelling the Western European POCT market,” explained Frost & Sullivan Transformational Health Industry Analyst Sangeetha Prabakaran. “Emerging segments will also offer first mover advantages such as a competitive edge through patents, experience and brand recognition.”

The need to access novel technology and expand product offerings as well as market share will drive market consolidation through mergers and acquisitions (M&A). Further, the increasing interoperability and data management in POCT unlocks upstream and downstream opportunities for non-healthcare companies.

“To grow, POCT companies will have to employ a diverse set of digital strategies and connectivity solutions,” confirmed Prabakaran. “Innovation will also energise saturated segments like glucose monitors that face huge price pressure from low-cost manufacturers.”

Major vendors in the market include Roche Diagnostics, Siemens Healthcare, Abbott Diagnostics, J&J, Danaher and Panasonic. Smaller next-gen companies to watch out for will be Biodirection, Nicox, and Microvisk.

Western Europe Point-of-Care Testing (POCT) Market is part of the Life Sciences Growth Partnership Service program. The research service explores key convergences that drive POCT development and the technological building blocks that contribute to future functionality in this market. The insight will enable vendors to assess upcoming opportunities in POCT from an application-/therapeutic-area point of view and to look at organic/inorganic means to monetize these opportunities.

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