Originally Published IVD Technology
September 2003
EDITOR'S PAGE
It’s a small world after all
The notion that “the world is getting smaller” could easily be applied to how the IVD industry has been evolving.
At this year’s annual meeting of the American Association for Clinical Chemistry (AACC) in Philadelphia, a market briefing on global issues in the IVD industry was held. At this briefing, which was cosponsored by IVD Technology, speakers discussed the current status of the IVD markets in various parts of the world, the opportunities for IVD manufacturers in these markets, and the potential hurdles that manufacturers will most likely encounter. This year’s briefing included presentations on India, Russia and Eastern Europe, Latin America, and China.
While the IVD marketplace has been and will continue to be dominated primarily by the United States, Japan, and Western Europe, the presentations at the briefing demonstrated that IVD manufacturers should not overlook the rest of the world. The business opportunities that other parts of the world offer to manufacturers are growing since the health systems in these emerging markets are maturing. Accordingly, their demand for more-sophisticated medical devices will likely increase, thereby presenting new markets for IVD companies and their products.
However, doing business in these other undeveloped markets is by no means easy. Companies must deal with regulatory issues that may seem antiquated and inconsistent, in addition to various social and cultural matters that are unique to each country.
IVD Technology has always recognized the importance of the global IVD market and continues to do so in this issue by covering some of the latest trends in global diagnostics. In this issue, one of the briefing presenters, Gina Franky, director of marketing and sales at Spectral Diagnostics, discusses the current status of the IVD markets in Latin America and the Caribbean in her article, “The Latin American Outlook for IVD Marketing” (page 39). Also in this issue, the In Person column features an interview with Wing Pang, vice president of platform development at Beckman Coulter, who talks about the opportunities in the Chinese IVD market in “Ripe for the Picking” (page 32).
IVD Technology is planning to cosponsor the international briefing again next year at the AACC annual meeting to be held in Los Angeles. IVD manufacturers who have never attended the briefing should make an effort to attend next year. Doing so will help them understand just how small the IVD world really is becoming.
Richard Park
richard.park@cancom.com
Copyright ©2003 IVD Technology
