INDUSTRY INTERVIEW: Abaxis
Director of Government Affairs
Abaxis
A: I joined Abaxis in 1998. I have extensive experience in hematology, cardiology, respiratory and, in general, in-vitro diagnostic equipment. I served as director for the western United States for the veterinary market before taking the position of director of government affairs. I live in Minnesota with my wife and four children. Q: What does your company do? A: Abaxis develops, manufactures and markets portable blood analysis systems for use in any veterinary or human patient-care setting to provide clinicians with rapid blood constituent measurements. Abaxis was incorporated in California in 1989.
Q: Tell us about some of your products.
A: The Piccolo Xpress Chemistry analyzer is a blood analysis system that can be used in any human patient care setting worldwide. The Vetscan Chemistry analyzer and HM2 and HM5 Hematology analyzers are used in veterinary applications worldwide. The Piccolo Xpress and VetScan analyzers are compact, 5.1 kilogram [11.2 pounds], portable analyzers that use a series of single- use plastic discs, called reagent discs, that contain all the chemicals required to perform a panel of up to 13 tests on veterinary patients and 14 tests on human patients. The system can be operated with minimal training and performs multiple routine tests on whole blood, serum or plasma samples. The system provides test results in less than 12 minutes with the precision and accuracy of a clinical laboratory analyzer.
Q: What makes your products different from others on the market?
A: Several factors separate the Piccolo Xpress and VetScan VS2 from conventional analyzers. Ease of use is likely to be our biggest advantage, followed by breadth of menu and a required sample size of only two drops of whole blood. In 2007 we received Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments-waived status for the Piccolo on 12 of the 14 most-used panels. With two drops of whole blood, the user can check the kidney, liver and electrolytes along with several other chemistries values in less than 12 minutes. The only maintenance on the unit is a fan filter on the back that can be cleaned in one minute. There are no costly startup or shutdown procedures and no fluids or external reagents, as the controls and regents are built into each one-time-use rotor, and it auto calibrates with each patient run.
Q: What is your position in the market sector?
A: We have over 1,100 Piccolos now in use by government agencies. It is the first choice for the frontline MASH units and revered by medics across the military as a vital tool in their assessment and diagnosis of critical patients. We also have another 3,000 in use by physician office labs, hospitals and research and development sites across the United States.
Q: Are you a fairly new player in the military or established?
A: We sold our first units to the military around 1998. We work very closely with our customers and strive to provide them with the best possible service, because most of the analyzers are in use outside the United States.
Q: Any successes this year that you’d highlight?
A: The highlight of my position is hearing from medics about how the Piccolo saved lives on the front lines by aiding them in diagnosis and treatment of injuries. We attend about 20 military trade shows per year, and there is always someone coming to the booth thanking us for having such an easy-to-use, reliable product. We continue to sell 300-plus units to the military each year. With the launch of the Piccolo Xpress in 2007, which is the second-generation unit, we are now starting to see a transition from older units out in the field. We are presently working with several VA hospital sites for utilization in their community-based outreach clinics to offer on-site testing for all of the veterans.
Q: How are you positioned for the future within the military?
A: We truly understand the needs of our military medical personnel and continually strive to surpass their needs. We recently introduced a renal function panel. This panel was requested from several military medics because of the number of burn casualties they currently triage. We are in the process of adding testing of C-Reactive Protein [CRP] to our chemistry menu. While CRP testing is not specific enough to diagnose a particular disease, it does serve as a general marker for infection and inflammation, thus alerting medical professionals that further testing may be needed. We are also in the process of adding downloadable software to our Website, which will allow software upgrades to be performed remotely and on a timely basis. We introduce two or three new tests every year, which allows us to respond in a timely manner to the needs of our customers. ♦
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