BioRad, a cent percent subsidiary of BioRad Laboratories USA, will soon gear up to tap the small laboratory space in the country to help them install affordable test instruments for diabetes. The company's new 'in2it' A1c Analyzer is a simple A1c testing at the point of care. The completely automated and portable analyzer will provide correct A1c Results at clinics of general practitioners for diabetics.

The 'in2it' analyzer measures A1c, which is a reliable parameter of a diabetic patient's glucose control. It offers medical practitioners higher efficiency and convenience by providing laboratory-accurate A1C test results. An A1c test is a reliable standard in diabetes care. The in2it is designed to speed up precise results in minutes, Dhiren Wagle, managing director, BioRad India told Pharmabiz.

The unique features of the product are that it is an easy, on-site testing platform. It allows existing lab staff to perform the test. The complete automation simplifies training and use of the product. The small finger stick sample provides greater convenience and patient comfort. The results are delivered fast for better patient compliance. It is calibrated to the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT) standard for laboratory accurate results.

Further, 'in2it' A1c Analyzer allows PC connectivity which simplifies result handling and storage. The ability to capture patient and operator identification provides full result traceability. The adhesive-backed printed reports eliminates transcription errors and provides permanent result back-up.

The company is market leader in IVD (in-vitro diagnostics) in the county. It has provided HbA1c test technology, which gives details of the average glucose value in the patient's blood for last 90-120 days. It has also made a mark in both antigen and antibody based HIV and Hepatitis B detection kits, besides NS1 antigen based dengue detection kit and the Thalasemmia testing.

In addition, the company is known for its assistance in quality control tools and services to diagnostics labs. It has teamed up with the Quality Council of India to organize awareness seminars across the country. "We have played a pivotal role in creating awareness amongst laboratories and doctors on the quality standards. Most of the laboratories use our external quality assessment programmes to assess the performance of their testing systems. We see a significant increase in the overall awareness levels on quality norms within diagnostic labs. There is also a keen interest in improving the quality levels in clinical testing within the country," informed Wagle.

The in-vitro diagnostic market in the country is estimated at $320 million and growing at 15 per cent annually. These include segments of hematology, biochemistry and immunoassays.