Dx Dialogue | SEKISUI Diagnostics

SEKISUI Diagnostics Innovates to Meet Patient Needs

Written by Julia Peeler | Dec 19, 2024 7:23:25 PM

The ever-evolving landscape of healthcare continually presents new challenges and opportunities for IVD manufacturers to meet. It’s unsurprising that when the COVID-19 pandemic introduced us to the convenience of having our groceries delivered, a movie theatre experience in our family rooms, and medical consultations over mobile devices, that testing for common illnesses in the home would eventually be in high-demand amongst patients. Clinical laboratory (IVD) manufacturers who introduced rapid antigen tests for SARS-CoV-2 during the pandemic have seen an increased need to make their tests available for patients to use in the comfort of their home, without a prescription or assistance from a medical provider (1).

 

“We’ve noticed a shift in the buying patterns of our patients.” Dr. Erica Blight, VP Client Services, Clinical Research & Marketing at SEKISUI Diagnostics, told Mark Hagland from Medical Laboratory Observer (2). “They want to take control of their diagnostic needs. And, with this, we aim to offer diagnostic solutions for wherever our patients are, from the home to the core lab, and everywhere in between.” And SEKISUI Diagnostics has done just that for our patients. Taking that feedback to heart, SEKISUI Diagnostics’ OSOM® COVID-19 Antigen Home Test Kit and OSOM® Flu SARS-CoV-2 Combo Home Test Kit are both now available for in-home use. Patients even have the added convenience of purchasing test kits through Amazon or having them delivered from a local retailer through Instacart.

 

 

“We’ve noticed a shift in the buying patterns of our patients.”

 

 

Some experts believe the accessibility and availability of critical health services, like in-home rapid testing, have substantial health value. In 2023, the CDC released summary findings from their national COVID survey, which showed that, in May 2022, approximately 60% of households surveyed had taken advantage of a government program to provide free COVID-19 antigen rapid tests for in-home use (3). In that same study, nearly 25% of persons using the kits reported that they would have been unlikely to test for COVID-19 if they did not have the option of the in-home test. Would they have gone about their daily life and potentially spread COVID-19 to others? We can’t know for certain. However, this data suggests that in-home testing has significant value to patients being able to access necessary diagnostics for the benefit of their health and their community.

In addition to their accessibility, many of these tests provide highly accurate results, using samples collected by those with zero medical training, giving greater peace of mind to physicians when prescribing treatment in a telehealth environment. In a study conducted by Johns Hopkins Medicine, the University of Maryland School of Medicine, researchers found that in-home tests performed by patients were comparable in accuracy to the PCR assay tests performed by clinicians (4). In-home tests were seen to be statistically similar in sensitivity and specificity as tests performed in-office by a healthcare provider. These similarities in statistics between the two different settings add a greater sense of confidence for physicians, and manufacturers, when promoting the use of in-home testing by patients.

“We’re enabling consumers, just like us, to have high quality, as well as reliable, diagnostic tests at home.” Dr. Blight went on to explain in the interview. SEKISUI Diagnostics commitment to strategic innovation, and to providing quality solutions to all clinician and patient populations continues with the recent launches of our two existing solutions for in-home testing. The OSOM® COVID-19 Antigen Home Test Kit for home use and the OSOM® Flu SARS-CoV-2 Combo Home Test for home use is both currently available in the U.S. market. You can find these products on Amazon or through local retailers, like CVS.

To learn more, visit SEKISUI Diagnostics OSOM® Home Tests site.

 

 

References:

  1. Health, Cardinal. The future of diagnostic testing is in the home. [Online] July 8, 2022. [Cited: November 13, 2024.] https://www.cardinalhealth.com/en/essential-insights/the-future-of-diagnostic-testing-is-in-the-home.html.
  2. Medical Laboratory Observer . Accessible and Accurate Testing Solutions from Home to Lab by Sekisui Diagnostics. [Online] September 20, 2024. [Cited: November 12, 2024.] https://www.mlo-online.com/video/video/55141437/accessible-and-accurate-testing-solutions-from-home-to-lab-by-sekisui-diagnostics.
  3. Control, Center for Disease. CDC MMWR Use of COVIDTests.gov At-Home Test Kits Among Adults in a National Household Probability Sample - United States, 2022. [Online] April 21, 2023. [Cited: November 12, 2024.] https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/72/wr/mm7216a6.htm.
  4. Medicine, Johns Hopkins Medicine at University of Maryland School of. Johns Hopkins Medicine-Led Study Shows Rapid COVID-19 Tests Done at Home Are Reliable. [Online] February 14, 2024. [Cited: November 12, 2024.] https://ictr.johnshopkins.edu/news_announce/johns-hopkins-medicine-led-study-shows-rapid-covid-19-tests-done-at-home-are-reliable/.