The global Treponema Pallidum (or Syphilis) tests market is projected to reach $462m by 2028, growing at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 2.99% between 2018 and 2028, according to GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.
The company’s latest report, ‘Treponema Pallidum Tests – In Vitro Diagnostics Tests Analysis and Forecast Model’ reveals that North America and Asia Pacific will be the fastest growing regions with CAGRs of 3.28% and 3.44%, respectively, during the forecast period.
In many countries, the devices used for primary syphilis screening are changing and higher priced products such as chemiluminescence immunoassays and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays are increasingly being employed. These newer devices are capable of high-throughput testing and enable institutions to reduce labor costs.
Alison Casey, Medical Devices Analyst at GlobalData comments: “A number of different factors influence growth of the Treponema Pallidum tests market; these include testing of infection and suspected infection cases as well as screening of pregnant women, anonymous sperm donations, whole blood donations, and source plasma donations.”
Barriers to market growth include declining rates of live births and whole blood donations, which are occurring in many countries and geographical regions.
Casey concludes, “While the rising global incidence of syphilis is expected to drive growth of the Treponema Pallidum Tests market, this is just one factor that must contend with multiple other variables that work together to determine future trends of this highly complex in vitro diagnostics market”

The latest research by Colliers International has revealed the current global In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) market is estimated to be between US$ 10 billion to US$ 12 billion, while the current IVF market size for Middle East & North Africa (MENA) is approximately US$ 1 billion, indicating a high demand for IVF and related treatments in the region.
The figures, published in a new report titled “In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) & Fertility in the MENA region”, revealed that compared to 10% worldwide, infertility in the MENA region is 15% or higher, with male infertility a growing problem occurring in approximately 50% of the cases in the GCC and Middle East due to lifestyle, diabetes, obesity and genetics related factors, as GCC countries have one of the highest diabetic and obesity rates in the world.
The report, which is published as part of the MEDLAB Market Report series ahead of MEDLAB 2019 which takes place from 4 – 7 February at the Dubai World Trade Centre, highlighted that although the population in the MENA region has increased from over 100 million in 1950 to 380 million in 2017 and is expected to increase to 700 million by 2050, overall fertility rates have decreased from seven children per women in 1960 to just three in 2017.
The research provides an in-depth analysis of the fertility rates in MENA region and, despite overall high population growth rates, why IVF remains in demand in the region, especially in the GCC countries.
Commenting on some of the key insights on the UAE’s IVF industry, Mansoor Ahmed, Director Healthcare, Education & PPP for MENA Region at Colliers International, said: “IVF is not only sought after locally but is one of the leading treatments undertaken by medical tourists in the UAE, especially in Dubai. Based on Colliers’ discussions with leading operators, medical tourism accounts for 10% to 15% of the IVF patient volumes.”
According to the report, new innovations and improved testing techniques are gradually creating paradigm shifts in the field of assisted reproductive technology. Particularly the increased focus on pre-marital screening for consanguineous (relatives) couples and the development of new genetic tests for screening of the embryos greatly improves the chance of minimizing certain genetic diseases common in this region.
Dr Laura Melado, Specialist – Obstetrics & Gynecology, IVF, IVI Middle East Fertility Clinic, Abu Dhabi, UAE, who will be speaking at the Cytogenetics & IVF Conference during MEDLAB 2019, commented:  “The Carrier Genetic Test (CGT) helps to determine the risk of having a child with a genetic disease. Anyone, without knowing, can be a carrier of one or more recessive mutations, but some couples have higher possibilities to carry the same genes. When this happens, Pre-implantation Genetic Testing (PGD) can be done for the embryos as part of the fertility treatment to help the couples to deliver healthy babies.”
Organized by Informa Exhibitions, MEDLAB Exhibition & Congress 2019 will welcome more than 19,600 medlical laboratory trade professionals and 670+ exhibitors from 46 countries in an effort to develop the value of laboratory medicine in shaping the future of healthcare and to provide advanced medical laboratory techniques for better health.
To download the “In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) & Fertility in the MENA region” report, please visit https://www.medlabme.com/en/forms/IVF-Fertility-MENA-2019-Report.html.

• Experts highlight that Middle Eastern populations are underrepresented in disease research
• UAE Vision 2021 aims to reduce cancer-related deaths, which WHO estimated to be 25.6 deaths per 100,000 population in the UAE in 2017
• Barriers to providing precision medicine in the Arab world to be discussed at MEDLAB Congress taking place from 4 – 7 February 2019 in Dubai

Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 12th December 2018: Ahead of the upcoming MEDLAB Exhibition & Congress, the MENA region’s largest medical laboratory event, experts are highlighting the need for advancing genetic and disease research in the Arab world in order to provide targeted gene therapies for certain cancers for citizens in the UAE.

This is in line with the UAE Vision 2021 National Agenda, which aims to reduce cancer-related deaths in the country, with the World Health Organisation (WHO) estimating 25.6 deaths per 100,000 population in the UAE in 2017. To achieve this aim, the UAE government regularly launches national awareness and preventative campaigns within the framework of ‘Itmenan’ which involves the ‘Universal Periodic Examination’ and ‘Early Detection of Cancer’ initiatives adopted by the Council of Ministers.

Targeted therapies, or precision medicine, is defined as tailoring of medical treatment to the individual characteristics of each patient. It is an emerging approach for disease treatment and prevention that takes into account individual variability in genes, environment, and lifestyle for each person. For example, for cancer treatments, based on genetic testing, a physician can choose the most effective chemotherapy based on the mutation or biomarker identified.

According to the WHO, while 70% of deaths from cancer occur in low and middle-income countries, only one in five low and middle-income countries have the necessary data to drive cancer policy. More than 90% of high-income countries reported available treatment services compared to less than 30% in low-income countries. While a portion of countries in MENA do have a high GDP, they are still considered developing economies according to the United Nations.

Commenting, Dr Sara Sorrell, Consultant Family Medicine, Intercare Health Center, Abu Dhabi, UAE, said: “It is well recognised that Middle Eastern populations are underrepresented in disease research and, to date, there is no research to indicate the impact of precision medicine in the UAE. But I think that this is still premature as we don’t even have enough data on the general population genetics of this part of the world, so this is really the first step. 

“For instance, if a different mutation is found to cause a particular cancer here, compared to European descent populations, this may present a novel target for new cancer therapies for local populations. Or, if a new drug comes on the market, what’s the effect in the local population? Therefore, advancing genetic and disease research in the UAE and the Arab world is very important. For this to occur, there needs to be both a focus on funding research as well as formulating policies around research and healthcare innovation to protect patients, scientists, and physicians,” she added.

Molecular diagnostics and genetics experts from the MENA region will gather at the upcoming MEDLAB Congress taking place from 4 – 7 February 2019 at Dubai World Trade Centre to discuss topics such as barriers to providing precision medicine in the Arab World, strategies for the prevention of genetic diseases, and Next-Generation Sequencing in oncology, among others.

Commenting on the importance of scientific exchange in the regional medical laboratory industry, Rejoy Penacerrada, Conference Director, MEDLAB Congress, said: “The conferences provide an important platform for the region’s medical laboratory community to engage in discussion that will promote the role of genetic and population research in advancing the health of citizens across the region. This is led by the intense interest in precision medicine, with the region’s laboratories now actively expanding their test menus for more personalised diagnostic services.”

Organised by Informa Exhibitions, the MEDLAB Congress brings together more than 6,700 conference delegates to hear from more than 110 speakers from 20 countries in an effort to provide advanced medical laboratory techniques for better health.

For a closer look at MEDLAB 2019, please visit www.medlabme.com

UK patients with N. gonorrhoeae (GC) now have the option of receiving the cheap and easily-administered oral antibiotic ciprofloxacin thanks to updated treatment guidelines and the availability of a novel molecular diagnostic and antimicrobial susceptibility test (AST). The new test can simultaneously diagnose gonorrhoea and provide information on whether a patient will respond to ciprofloxacin.

Global management strategies for antimicrobial resistance (AMR), such as those developed by the World Health Organisation, highlight gonorrhoea as a priority infection to manage, with more effective use of diagnostic tools listed as a key focus for future development. On 24 January 2019 the Health Secretary Matt Hancock, launched the UK government’s 20-year vision to combat antibiotic resistance at the World Economic Forum at Davos, Switzerland.

Ciprofloxacin was the first line antibiotic of choice for uncomplicated gonorrhoea in the past but was relegated to an alternative treatment due to increasing resistance.

The incidence of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) including gonorrhoea is increasing around the world, with corresponding increasing rates of resistance to commonly used antibiotics. The first two cases of multidrug-resistant (MDX) N. gonorrhoeae were reported in the UK at the start of 2019. These follow the first globally reported case of gonorrhoea with high-level resistance to azithromycin and resistance to ceftriaxone in England in 2018.

Called ResistancePlus® GC, the availability of the new test is timely, as the British Association of Sexual Health and HIV (BASHH) has launched its 2019 gonorrhoea management guidelines to include the use of ciprofloxacin, provided antimicrobial susceptibility results are available prior to treatment.

The new test could be critical in the battle against antibiotic resistance, helping physicians to prescribe an effective antibiotic using a resistance-guided approach. Prior to the new 2019 BASHH guidelines, ceftriaxone was the recommended front-line treatment for gonorrhoea together with azithromycin. Ceftriaxone is a painful intramuscular injection. It has long been considered the last readily available effective antibiotic for GC, and several extensively drug-resistant strains have now been isolated exhibiting resistance to ceftriaxone and many other available treatments.

“The new guideline now recommends giving double the previously recommended dose of ceftriaxone (now 1g stat). However, they also indicate ciprofloxacin as a first-line option when antimicrobial susceptibility is known prior to treatment.
Not only is this less painful for patients, it is preferable to doctors as it is a cheaper treatment that does not require specialised staff to administer the injection.

As the UK now has the lowest reported rate of ciprofloxacin-resistant gonorrhoea at 26%, over 70% of patients could now benefit from the new guidelines and receive oral therapy if they have a test result showing ciprofloxacin susceptibility, such as is offered by the test.
ResistancePlus® GC was invented by scientists in Australia and is now able to be accessed by clinicians in the UK. It is the first commercially available molecular diagnostic test providing ciprofloxacin susceptibility information and is well placed to support current laboratory molecular testing workflows. Currently, culture methods are the routine test to determine antimicrobial susceptibility, but results can take days to produce, and many rectal (50%) and the majority of throat (70%) samples can be difficult to culture; ResistancePlus® GC can overcome these limitations.

Treating gonorrhoea as soon as possible is very important because gonorrhoea can lead to serious long-term health problems including pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) in women, that may result in infertility, and infection in the testicles in men.

SpeeDx, the company behind the new test, received CE-IVD marking for its ResistancePlus® GC assay at the end of 2018, enabling it to be adopted in all countries where CE-mark is accepted – including the UK. It is based on a PlexPCR method that detects both N. gonorrhoeae (GC) and sequences in the gyrA gene of the bacteria associated with susceptibility to ciprofloxacin, in a single test.