Medical Device Link.

Originally Published IVD Technology June 2004

INDUSTRY NEWS

Table I. The percentage of consumers who would be interested in purchasing certain home testing kits that are not available in the United States. Source: Advanced Analytics (New York City) (click to enlarge).

Results from a recent survey show that the $4.5 billion home testing-kit market may be poised for significant growth. This survey offers some good news for IVD manufacturers that are already producing home-use tests, and could encourage others to jump into this market.

The survey was conducted by Advanced Analytics Inc. (New York City). Nearly 6 in 10 respondents said they have used at least one type of home testing kit, such as blood glucose monitors, cholesterol tests, HIV/AIDS tests, and drugs-of-abuse tests. In addition, half think home-use tests now for sale in the United States are as accurate as tests conducted in physicians’ offices.

“Public awareness of preventive medicine has exploded in the last 5–10 years,” says Bruce Kavitsky of Guideline Research (New York City), a cosponsor of the survey. “The public has become convinced that not only can you do things yourself to live longer and better, but you almost have to,” he says. “As more people are taking medical decisions into their own hands, home tests give them one more vehicle with which to do that.”

The survey showed continued interest among consumers in home testing kits: 7 in 10 respondents said they would consider using a currently marketed home-use test in the future. This finding was especially pronounced for cholesterol tests: nearly half expressed interest in cholesterol kits. By contrast, only 2% report having used them. 

Other findings revealed a growing interest in new types of home testing kits. Nearly 8 in 10 respondents said they would be interested in buying new types of home-use tests not now offered in the United States (see Table I, page 18). 

“This is certainly very encouraging for home-test kit manufacturers,” says Kavitsky. They can “start looking at how they may want to expand their business and get into some new things that presently don’t exist.”

While home testing-kit makers generally agreed with the survey results, they believe other factors will influence growth in this market.

The results did not surprise David Detmers, director of communications and public affairs at LifeScan Inc. (Milpitas, CA). As the population ages and self-care increases, he said, “there will be continued growth and interest in home testing kits for a variety of conditions.” But kit makers, he cautioned, must understand how they will be used. In some cases, use may only be occasional, as for a specific condition like pregnancy. In others, he said, it will be ongoing, as in the case of blood glucose monitoring. The market will also be influenced by whether kits “supplement or replace physician involvement and oversight of patients.” Finally, Detmers said, “cost and reimbursement are also factors, particularly for tests that must be conducted frequently and have a cost associated with each test.”

For more information about this survey, please visit Advanced Analytics’ Web site at www.advancedanalyticsinc.com.  

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