Transasia Bio-Medicals Ltd.

Clinical lab automation is growing in India; however, its impact on patient care is yet to be felt fully as only a small percentage of laboratories are fully automated. With the various Government initiatives for providing a better healthcare landscape, it will be interesting to see how lab automation can make the difference! With Ayushman Bharat becoming the most trending topic of 2018 in the Indian healthcare arena, all eyes are set on how the health ministry meets the promise of providing free diagnostics to the beneficiaries in secondary and tertiary healthcare set-up. Though diagnostics is at the centre of healthcare delivery, it is ironical that in a country like India, 70% population has never got their blood tested. In such a scenario, providing affordable diagnostics, leave alone free diagnostics, poses the biggest challenge. One thing is clear, to entitle affordable healthcare to 50 crore citizens, the government is joining hands with the industry. Which means, once...

The liver is the powerhouse for the process of blood clotting (hemostasis). Any damage to the liver, can affect the coagulation process, leading to further complications. It is thus important to choose an accurate testing kit that evaluates the changes to the coagulation markers and thus gives an indication of the severity of liver disease.  Coagulation and fibrinolytic factors are universal indicators for detecting a liver impairment, the most accurate one being Prothrombin Time (PT). So, obviously it is critical to ensure that PT is evaluated with a quality diagnostic kit to ensure accuracy of reporting.  Criteria such as good ISI and precision in control (on a day-to-day basis), high linearity and correlation with reference reagents are essential while choosing a kit.  The Erba Protime LS from Transasia Bio-Medicals is a liquid stable, standardized, rabbit brain thromboplastin reagent with an excellent <1% CV and high linearity on serial dilution. Whe...

Having risen to newer heights in the last couple of years, diabetes has earned India the notorious title of ‘Diabetes Capital of the World’… a reality that cannot be sugar coated!  While most of us gear up to revel in the upcoming season of joy and festivities, there are a few who would be gearing up to face their biggest challenge. That of enjoying the occasions minus the sweet indulgence. And why so? Because we probably belong to the 72 mn Indians* who suffer from diabetes, a lifestyle disease which is an outcome of hereditary factors, sedentary routine and excessive consumption of processed food. But does that mean you need to stay away from all the small pleasures that you can enjoy together with your family? Well, the answer to that is a NO. And the good news is, you can continue to binge on the ‘fun and food’ if only you keep your HbA1c levels under check! Why blame it only on the sweets? While the general belief is that eating a lot of sweets is responsible fo...

Digital transformation of a diagnostic lab enables one to allow efficient management of the inventory and better anticipate maintenance needs of the instruments. Think about it! In any business, what is the role of technology and how does it help? In simple words, it is one of the problem-solving tools that helps resolve a business problem faster and effectively. With an increasing focus on offering value-added services, manufacturers are adopting rapidly evolving technologies such as IoT or Internet of Things, to meet the huge demand for fully automated products and services. IoT applications are being used across all verticals of business and healthcare is no exception. In fact, IoT has brought in a lot of ‘convenience’ to the healthcare ecosystem. A research has projected that by 2019, 87% global healthcare organizations will have adopted IoT technology. Speaking specifically of the medical devices segment, IoT has brought about digital transformation to a lab work...

With the spike in malaria and dengue during the monsoons, clinicians are faced with the challenge of quick and accurate testing and finding new ways to reach out to the endemic areas. Since both these vector-borne diseases exhibit symptoms also evident in many other viral infections, the onus is on the laboratories to select testing methods that correctly identify the parameters specific to these two diseases. A swell in the volume of cases each year, has brought Rapid Diagnostic Tests (RDTs ) into the limelight. RDTs offer pathologists an immediate answer to whether a person is infected or not and are an ideal choice in a resource constraint setting. Besides offering a faster response time, RDTs also offer the benefit of combination tests (NS1 Ag and differential IgG / IgM Ab in the case of dengue and differential diagnosis of falciparum and vivax infection, in the case of malaria) which is particularly advantageous when patients report on the fourth or fifth day of feve...

In the first edition of this blog, we evaluated the impact of EDL on the healthcare system. The Indian IVD manufacturers have an important role to play along with the health ministry to ensure that EDL truly benefits the patients at large. In this concluding series let us evaluate the same: In addition to the healthcare sector, an EDL will also have a significant impact on the IVD manufacturing industry: An EDL, by listing country/region specific needs, could help develop target product profiles (TPPs) . A TPP provides details on the minimum and optimal performance and operational characteristics of priority diagnostic tests. Researchers and manufacturers use TPPs to ensure that R&D activities are focused on relevant products to meet the needs of end users. Moreover, an EDL is prepared taking into consideration, target users, intended use, infrastructural requirement, sample type and volume, sample handling, performance, diagnostic testing algorithm, etc. Thus, an IVD ma...

WHO’s latest announcement on introducing an Essential Diagnostic List further emphasizes the need to widen the reach of important diagnostic tests for timely disease management. The good news is India has taken the lead to develop its own National EDL. What needs to be seen is how the government and the industry come together to integrate the EDL to further boost the efforts towards a Healthier India. The impact of global warming is not just on our melting glaciers. The rampant spread in infectious diseases, both new and old; has become a big concern for the healthcare specialists. Gone are the days when malaria was associated only with monsoons. Weather variations bring with it the unpredictable onset of host of diseases, further pushing the health machinery into action to contain the spread. The recent outbreak of Nipah virus in Kerala, once again highlights the crucial role played by diagnostic tests for the precise and early detection of emerging diseases. Clinici...