Friday, June 22, 2012

Some Companies Show Higher Revenue Growth in Animal Diagnostics

A trend noted in our Veterinary Diagnostics report:  Some companies have seen higher rates of revenue growth in animal diagnostics than the average in human diagnostics, in vitro diagnostics.  According to our most recent report on the IVD industry, the rate of growth for human IVD products (including instruments and reagents) is 6%.  In many cases products show lower revenue growth, as basic chemistry tests are sold through group purchasing and competition is solidified.  High growth molecular testing, FISH histology testing  and other areas drive the total growth rate of human IVD up.  In general, when the total market is considered, the veterinary diagnostic market does not grow any faster than the human IVD market.  But in some product lines, revenue growth is faster.

At least two companies covered in our report have found veterinary diagnostics to be a source of revenue growth.  IDEXX and Abaxis, among the top veterinary diagnostic companies have seen 8% or greater revenue growth in recent years.  Part of that is from sales of food animal tests to the EU and emerging nations, though those markets as noted in Kalorama Key Point earlier this week, is declining.  Companion animal testing has increased due to high-income pet owners making veterinary visits and spending where needed to test for diseases.

Both IDEXX and Abaxis have product lines in human diagnostics, though most of their money is made in veterinary diagnostics.  These companies show that the model of using animal diagnostics to launch in IVD can work.

Our report covers some of the areas of vet dx that are experiencing the highest growth rates and pushing this market to over a billion dollars.  

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Veterinary Diagnostics: Food Testing Suffers in EU

What goes up must go down, and the intensity of concern over animal testing in the European Union nations led to impressive gains in the food animal diagnostics markets in the last decade.  This has, as of recent years, slowed down a bit.    So notes Kalorama analyst Emil Salazar in our most recent edition of Veterinary Diagnostics.


"Strong rates of growth in the historical food animal diagnostics market were diluted late in 2008-2012 by declining TSE testing volumes, restrained public expenditures on animal disease control, economic recession, and recent fiscal weakness in the primary European market."

Even for the most important food safety concerns, there is still a limit to how much testing.  Testing in any market, human or animal, is never done at 100% of potential testing, and every diagnostic manufactuer plans accordingly.   Several diagnostic companies, including a Big Six but then a dozen other concerns, are still expanding in animal diagnostics and finding alternative markets to compete in than the highly regulated human diagnostics market.  The report notes growth  in the US in emerging markets, and in the pet animal market.  The report covers all aspects of veterinary diagnostics including reagent and POC sales as well as instrument sales.  Trends in pet ownership and pet spending are noted in the report, as well as food animal trends driving the market.