Diagnostics seem to be the buzz word in the today's healthcare industry. Previously, undergoing a diagnostic test was very harsh for a patient and so instead of undergoing diagnostic, a patient preferred to go for directly for the treatment. However, this has changed over the period of time. Diagnostics have come a long way from being only a method to identify a patient's disease, to becoming a crucial segment that supports clinical development of drugs, helps in predicting diseases before symptoms appear, aids in predicting the progress of a disorder and identifying patients that are most likely to respond (or not respond) to specific treatments.

The seveal advantages of diagnostics has led to firms investing in diagnostics-based products. One such example is QIAGEN, the global leading provider of sample and assay technologies, which started its diagnostics operations in 2004. In the last one year, QIAGEN has been in the lime light for its diagnostics products. For instance in November 2012, the company's careHPV molecular diagnostic test, which is used to screen high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV), got the Chinese SFDA nod. The product, which is based out-of-China, is designed for low-resource clinical settings such as areas lacking electricity, water or modern laboratory infrastructure.

BioSpectrum connected with Dr Helge Lubenow, senior VP, molecular diagnostics business area, QIAGEN, to know about the details of its present products and the strategy adopted by the firm to capture APAC markets. Following are the excerpts:

Congratulations on receiving SFDA's nod for careHPV test. Please tell us more about the test?
The careHPV Test has been developed in a joint effort with PATH, an international nonprofit organization, and is the first HPV test designed for areas with limited healthcare infrastructure, complementing QIAGEN's market-leading digene HC2 HPV Test.

How is careHPV different from digeneHC2 HPV test?
The careHPV and digene HC2 tests are both based on clinically proven Hybrid Capture technology and are highly complementary because they serve different laboratory needs. The careHPV Test is the first molecular diagnostic to screen for high risk human papillomavirus (HPV) designed for low-resource clinical settings, such as areas lacking electricity, water or modern laboratory infrastructure.