EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Two i vitro testing technologies - immunoassays and nucleic acid testing (NAT) - have significant applications for the animal health and breeding
industries. This report analyses the market for both types of testis and identifies trends and opportunities in each area. It also profiles a
representative cross-section of companies offering immunoassay and/or NAT products and services, and presents extensive lists of commercial
immunoassay and NAT products on a species-by-species basis.
In 2002, diagnostics accounted for accounted for around 10% of the total animal health market, ie $1,100 million. Within the diagnostics segment,
immunodiagnostics account for 35-40% of sales ($440 million) and nucleic acid-based tests account for around 4% ($44 million). The size of the
veterinary immunodiagnostics and nucleic acid testing market is forecast to grow 33% in real terms during the period to 2008, an annualised growth
rate of just under 5%.
The companion animal health sector continues to be the most successful segment of the animal health industry, and this sector will exhibit
relatively high growth rates, rising from its current value of 60% to 66% share of the total market by 2008. The cattle market will remain
significant. Although better growth is expected in the pig and poultry product sector.
The veterinary immunoassay field continues to provide niche opportunities for diagnostic companies. In addition to infectious disease diagnosis,
immunoassay-based testing plays an important role in areas such as allergies, endocrine dysfunction. Reproductive and post-natal care, blood typing,
detection of drugs of abuse and food safety. The range of analytes is extensive, but most are niche products with low sales volumes and limited
supplier competition. Certain immunodiagnostic product areas are very competitive: they include tests for heartworm (canine and feline), Brucella
abortus (bovine), bovine leukaemia, equine infections anaemia, progesterone (various species), Borrelia burgdorferi (canine), feline leukaemia virus,
and feline immunodeficiency virus.
Currently more than half of all diagnostic testing by US veterinarians is still done at outside reference laboratories. However, as vets endeavour
to provide better preventive healthcare in clinics increasingly devoted to small animal medicine, the uptake of in-clinic tests is likely to increase.
Rapid immunoassays provide veterinarians with important information, which can be acted upon before the pet7s owner leaves the clinic. Increased use
of rapid immunoassays may take some business away from testing laboratories, but it also has a stimulatory effect, since rapid immunoassays are
primarily screening assays and often require further confirmatory testing in a laboratory.
Sales of nucleic acid-based tests are predicted by Animal Pharm Reports to increase from $44 million in 2002 to $88 million by 2008. This doubling
of the market will be driven by the increased use (and better performance) of NAT products for the rapid and reliable identification and monitoring of
infectious diseases. Much of this growth will occur by the displacement of other products, including immunoassays, and, of course, it stars from a
rather low baseline. As microarray technologies mature, many more opportunities will be created in programmes aimed at identification of virulent
strains, disease eradication, and food safety improvement.
NAT is fundamentally transforming the animal breeding industry. A number of pioneering companies have already launched genetic testing products and
services that are enabling breeders to select animals which are free of genetic disease and/or endowed with economically important traits. A steep
increase in commercial activity in this area is eventually anticipated, but much work remains to be done to interpret the data emerging from the
various animal genome sequencing projects.
The true prevalence of many infectious diseases is still unknown, particularly in the case of companion animals. Since many diseases are
asymptomatic, subclinical, or have long latency periods, large numbers of animals may need to be screened. There is every reason for veterinary
diagnostic companies to become involved in this endeavour, since screening may result in validation of new commercial tests, both immunoassays and
NATs.
The increased number of zoonotic diseases being recognised worldwide makes it imperative that human diagnostic companies become involved in
veterinary testing aimed at the identification of reservoirs of zoonotic pathogens. This could lead to the development of new commercial tests, in
particular NAT-BASED TESTS, for pathogens that are currently not subjected to screening.
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