BIVDA – The Difference Diagnostics Can Make.

The British In Vitro Diagnostics Association (BIVDA) was established in London in February 1992 as the national trade association for companies with major involvement and interest in the in vitro diagnostics (IVD) industry. In addition to providing a regulatory support function on behalf of its members, BIVDA aims to increase awareness of the difference diagnostics can make to success of healthcare in both clinical and financial terms. Increased use of diagnostics can save money long term by diagnosing disease earlier. Currently only 5% of the NHS budget is spent on diagnostics yet diagnostics provide 60 to 70% of the information on the electronic patient record.

BIVDA directly represents the interests of the IVD industry in the UK and through participation in the European Diagnostics Manufacturers Association (EDMA), also provides an effective voice for the industry in Europe. The membership of BIVDA currently represents over 90% of the UK IVD industry, which was worth £321 million in 2002, and includes both manufacturers and distributors who are active in the UK irrespective of their national origin.

The aims of BIVDA are encompassed in its mission statement:

"To promote the role of in vitro diagnostics in healthcare and to meet the needs of the UK Diagnostics Industry through representation and professional services.”

In vitro diagnostics tests (IVDs) are the tests that protect blood supply, monitor the levels of drugs given and provide information to assist in the diagnosis and treatment of disease. These tests are generally run in the hospital’s pathology laboratories and can in specific instances also be carried out in doctors’ surgeries, in high street pharmacies or by patients themselves.

BIVDA aims to spread the awareness of the value of diagnostics in the wider theatre of healthcare. The ongoing revolution in medical sciences means that diagnostics is offering exciting opportunities not only in the treatment of disease but in its prevention. New technologies give the clinician more and more opportunity to use diagnostic tools in the prognosis, prediction and prevention of disease. Cardiovascular risk, cancer, diabetes, infectious diseases and osteoporosis are just a few areas where real breakthroughs are proving possible. BIVDA strives to ensure that no opportunities are missed by working with industry and all interested bodies to provide comprehensive information, a robust regulatory frame work and in-dept outcome studies.

BIVDA has undertaken many initiatives designed to highlight the benefits and cost effectiveness to the healthcare system of providing correct and timely diagnosis of disease. It believes that by raising the profile of diagnostics it can benefit IVD suppliers, laboratory professionals, clinicians and patients alike. All are invited to become involved in spreading the message that the appropriate use of IVD’s can have a major impact on the health of individuals and give savings in healthcare budgets, especially downstream. We encourage members to provide evidence based articles relating to their own product lines to indicate how the use of these can assist healthcare management and to give sound cost utility arguments to support the introduction of new testing programmes. We encourage the laboratory professionals to promote the utility of their services and to seek a shift in the costing of laboratory services away from being a fixed budget overhead (equivalent to the laundry) towards being that of a clinical service.

BIVDA is also working with patient groups to lobby government and government bodies and is raising awareness with politicians and the general public of the role that IVD's can play in better healthcare management.

 

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