Media Coverage

For decades now, consolidation has been one of the major trends in the clinical laboratory market as major players have grown their businesses through the acquisition of smaller independent and hospital labs. While much of this action has focused on the US market, these firms are looking internationally, as well, striking a number of recent deals to expand their footprints abroad. Last year, for instance, Quest acquired Canadian laboratory firm LifeLabs for roughly $985 million, giving the company a major presence in that country. Karthik Kuppusamy, senior VP of clinical solutions at Quest, said the firm sees opportunities to expand the LifeLabs business by moving into provinces not currently served by the company, winning business currently being done by hospital labs, and introducing new advanced diagnostics into the market.

Quest Diagnostics has introduced a new blood test aimed at assisting physicians in confirming amyloid brain pathology related to Alzheimer’s disease in individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or dementia. The test, known as AD-Detect Abeta 42/40 and p-tau217 Evaluation, is said to combine amyloid beta (AB) 42/40 blood level outcomes, which are determined by Quest’s tandem mass spectrometry techniques with p-tau217 blood levels as measured by an in vitro immunoassay.

Quest Diagnostics has launched a new solution to enhance access to human papillomavirus (HPV) screening, enabling women to identify their risk of cervical cancer. The new offering includes a self-collection option, allowing patients to collect their own specimens for HPV screening in clinical settings. Starting next month, Quest Diagnostics will introduce this self-collection option at its 2,000 patient service centres across the United States, with a physician’s order.

The new Quest Diagnostics on Idaho Street in downtown Elko is the company's first foray into Northern Nevada east of Reno, an expansion prompted by a new contract with a major insurer in the region. The lab, at 1074 Idaho St., will have two phlebotomists when fully staffed and expects to draw blood from between 40 to 50 patients a day once operations get fully underway, according to Leanne Delgadillo, sales director for parts of California and Nevada.

The COVID-19 pandemic, which began on March 15, 2020, reshaped healthcare, diagnostics, and public health preparedness, leaving lasting impacts on the industry. The increased public perception of clinical diagnostics has certainly been a silver lining. But it has also exposed ongoing challenges the industry was already coping with—adding additional pressure. “With an aging population, an increase in chronic diseases and delays in care due to the pandemic, the demand for diagnostic testing is on the rise. However, the current workforce is not growing at a pace that can keep up with this demand. Furthermore, there is a shortage of skilled professionals, particularly in specialized areas of laboratory medicine. So, one of the biggest challenges facing the laboratory industry will be staffing and a skilled workforce pipeline,” notes Elizabeth Marlowe, PhD, executive scientific director at Quest Diagnostics.