Media Coverage

The US interferon-gamma release assay (IGRA) tuberculosis testing market has been largely dominated by one player, but Quest Diagnostics' acquisition of the US operations of a smaller contender has potential to increase competition in the rapidly growing market, some experts say. The leading IGRA tuberculosis test, Qiagen's QuantiFERON-TB had global sales of $185 million in 2017, about half of which was made up of US sales, according to a spokesman. Quest's plans to acquire the US operations of Oxford Immunotec, maker of the competing T Spot.TB IGRA tuberculosis test, could add scale and efficiency to a less widely known competitor in a rapidly growing market, financial analysts and tuberculosis experts say. The $170 million deal, in which Quest will also acquire US operations of Oxford Immunotec's Accutix tick-borne disease test, is expected to close by year end.

In a recent article, we discussed secondhand cannabis smoke and why a person has very little chance to generate a positive hair test from it. A few folks wrote to us explaining they had indeed failed a hair test thanks to the secondhand smoke around them and not what they consumed. We got enough responses that we felt the need to delve deeper into the issue around secondhand smoke and hair follicle tests. In 2015, the Cannabist spoke with Quest Diagnostics Employer Solutions Director of Science and Technology, Dr. Barry Sample, about why secondhand smoke should not trigger a positive test. Dr. Sample explained that, “Hair testing detects a pattern of repetitive use and does not detect recent or single (first time) use. Published, peer-reviewed studies to date have not demonstrated the reporting of a hair specimen as positive for marijuana use due to ‘passive’ or ‘incidental’ exposure.” In the case of a failed hair test, subjects can take a second follow-up test. In this case, hair samples are usually washed to remove any secondhand contaminants from the test.

Quest Diagnostics used an 18-month leadership development program called LeadingQuest Academy to overhaul its leadership culture and drive new growth. The academy focused on experiential learning through an in-residence program, action learning projects, cross-functional team-building and pre- and post-assessments.

In 2015 Arizona passed a law that allowed people to obtain any test offered by a licensed clinical laboratory without a health care provider’s request or authorization. The benefits of the bill largely fell by the wayside when the primary company that supported the bill was found to be lying about their testing process. However, while all eyes were on the downfall of Theranos, Sonora Quest Laboratories started My Lab ReQuest, their own direct-to-consumer blood testing. “Theranos was already in that space. LabCorp had announced, nationally, that they were going to get into the direct-to-consumer space. So, it was an internal business decision on our part to expand direct-to-consumer,” David Dexter, CEO of SQL, said. “I will tell you that I was somewhat of a skeptic that we were truly entering a direct-to-consumer phase in health care, but I gave way completely because once we completely delivered the direct-to-consumer product, within 90 days of rolling it out, the response was much stronger than I had anticipated.”

Researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute are seeking participants in a new study, funded as part of the Stand Up To Cancer Multiple Myeloma Dream Team, to identify people with conditions that are precursors of multiple myeloma and track their health over time. The study, dubbed PROMISE, will help scientists track the molecular changes that occur as precursor conditions progress to myeloma. This information will be critical in the development of drugs that prevent the disease from advancing and improve patients’ survival. Initial participation in the trial is online or by mail. Local travel for blood draw is required. Testing will be performed at each participant’s local Quest Diagnostics laboratory. To sign up for the study, please visit www.promisestudy.org. Additional funding is provided by grants from the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation, the Multiple Myeloma Research Consortium, Celgene, Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and the National Institutes of Health. The Promise study has partnered with Quest Diagnostics, as the preferred provider for laboratory testing.

Physicians must be allowed to prescribe opioids, but we need regulations that support drug testing of patients before and during such therapy. Throughout my career, I have closely studied prescription drug use and misuse, particularly relating to opioids. As director, medical science liaison, and medical affairs at the large New Jersey-based company, Quest Diagnostics, the nature of our current opioid epidemic is particularly disturbing, and it’s hitting much too close to home.

Quest Diagnostics, the world's leading provider of diagnostic information services, announced today that it will present results of four studies at the 2018 American Society of Human Genetics Meeting (ASHG), October 16 – 20, 2018 in San Diego (Quest Diagnostics booth 1514). These studies by Quest Diagnostics researchers evaluate a broad range of laboratory technologies and best practices for aiding in genomic sequencing of data for the diagnosis of patients with a broad range of genetic diseases and disorders. These include next generation sequencing (NGS) to detect alpha-thalassemia common deletions, which can affect the body's production of hemoglobin, causing anemia and other blood disorders. Other research describes best practices for identifying clinically relevant gene variants from sequenced genetic data.

At the start of 2018, I put my health (both mental and physical) as a top priority. I have been seeing the results slowly but surely! Exercising daily has made the biggest impact, along with eating with a more healthy intention. If you like to take charge of your own health, I would suggest starting out with daily walks and incorporating a salad into your every day routine. Those are two super-easy ways to improve your general health! I’ve also added several vitamins and supplements to improve different aspects of my health. I recently decided to check in to see if these supplements have impacted my health. Through Health Testing Centers, I purchased an Expanded Vitamin Panel to see what vitamins I may be showing as low or high. I also purchased an Anemia test to see if I may be anemic. With just a few clicks, I added the two lab tests to my cart, choosing which lab I wanted to go to. I chose Quest Diagnostics because there is a location just a short distance from me. There were so many location choices it will be easy to find a lab near you. You can pay with a credit card or even use PayPal. I love the convenience aspect!

Quest Diagnostics, the world's leading provider of diagnostic information services, today announced that its subsidiary, Summit Health Inc., has completed the previously disclosed acquisition of the assets of Hooper Holmes, Inc. d/b/a Provant Health, a provider of employer health and wellness services focused on whole person wellness and care cost management.