From the laboratory to the layperson, from pathologists to the public, the response to in vitro diagnostic testing has been engaging across all sectors of society during the current pandemic. Chris Hudson provides a view on the reaction from Roche.
To a pathologist, the value of in vitro diagnostics (IVDs) is apparent: it’s not just the lifeblood of healthcare, it is crucial in determining the cause of disease and for narrowing down the right treatment. But this value has not always been as immediately obvious to the wider public. The SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus and COVID-19 disease has changed that.
We all know that there is currently a considerable gap between value and investment in diagnostics. Many will already know the stark fact that diagnostic testing accounts for close to 70% of clinical decisions, yet makes up less than 1% of total NHS spend.1 This is often taken as evidence that diagnostics is undervalued. Other comparable European countries also spend far more: France spends more than €24 per capita on IVDs, Italy spends €26.6 and Switzerland spends a massive €54.50, compared to just €14.70 for the UK.2 Diagnostics must surely be due a place in the spotlight.
It could be argued that now is that time. COVID-19 has shifted the landscape in momentous ways. Diagnostics is, of course, vital in non-infectious disease as well as infectious diseases. But it has taken a global pandemic and public health crisis to make it clear to the general public how important testing is in health system’s response to disease, and to ensuring public safety on a massive scale.
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