Vision ahead to lead Agappe into further success

In-vitro diagnostic (IVD) sector is undergoing a paradigm shift in the quality of life and patient-care approach. IVD has a definite role in prevention, prediction, diagnosis, prognosis, and support, as well as a well-defined therapeutic control.

As per available reports, the current market size of the medical devices industry in India is estimated to be USD 11 billion. The sector is likely to grow to USD 50-billion industry by 2025, with a growth rate of 28 percent. This giant leap has given insights into the IVD horizon’s upcoming markets.

With regards to IVD Indian market, it is likely to exceed USD 1.8-billion mark by 2025. The IVD industry in India is showing tremendous progress. All the major technological advancements and high-efficiency platforms have attained new heights. The cutting-edge technologies are being employed for identifying disease prognosis. The burgeoning demand for personalized treatment, drastic innovations in diagnostic sector, increasing demand in point-of-care testing among the public, a growing geriatric population base, and increase in awareness are driving the growth of the IVD sector in India.

Molecular biology (MDx) has grown from 2-percent share in IVD to 27 percent, especially by the Covid pandemic’s dint and related test kits demand. There should be sufficient focus on expanding MDx platform technologies in the coming years since MDX-based real-time PCR/real-time LAMP-based instruments and regents, with special attention to infectious diseases like TB, Malaria, Leptospirosis, etc. Agape also has decided to gear up its research work on these lines in the coming years.

Immunology is an upcoming branch of IVD in recent years, contributing more than 30 percent of IVD business share. Agappe has not yet stepped into this world of immunology. We would like to step into the immunology world with our own manufactured reagents first time in India. As of now, the total market is imported one, and then the cost of reagents for the ultimate customer will be very high than indigenously manufactured reagents. Agappe will be entering all the possible classes of reagents from thyroid, cardiac markers, infectious, cancer markers, fertility markers, and other miscellaneous segments.

Agappe is the first and the only Indian company that indigenously manufactures 3-Part hematology systems. We will try to manufacture our own 5-part hematology systems before long in the Indian market, with an affordable price tag. Right now, we have OEM machines with our own reagents in the Indian as well as global markets.

Post-Covid shift has facilitated the POCT equipment market in a great way. Due to the shift in the approach of patient care in terms of IVD, most of the patients wanted test results without reporting to the laboratories as usual. Doctors also do not want to send the blood samples to the central lab unless it is warranted. This has created hype in the POC division in India too. Agappe has already launched a new division called POC Division to represent exclusive all classes of POC equipment to emergency care units, ICUs, clinics and small hospitals, stat labs, etc. Our full-fledged POC team is getting ready to enter the market with cute, affordable POC machines for various test protocols, including immunofluorescence, hematology segment, clinical dry chemistry, and blood gas analyzer systems as well as coagulation systems.

Infrastructural development also is a priority for Agappe in the coming years. Built on 200,000 sq. ft. of land, our 80,000 sq. ft. GMP and CDSCO-compliant plant is purpose-built for the global and domestic market needs. Our equipment factory has a capacity of 1250 machines per month and reagent 170,000 kits per month per shift. We would like to expand both types of equipment as well as reagent infrastructural capabilities to a multifold scale, in view of the intelligent projections for the ensuing years. In FY 2024, we would like to touch the 1000-crore club, with mammoth indigenization of reagents and types of equipment in immunology, molecular biology, point-of-care segment as well as 5-Part hematology analyzer systems, with more and more automation in place to meet the increasing global demand.

Agappe presently caters to 65 countries in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America, and a few European countries in our roadmap of international business. Our next aim is to increase our footprints to 150 countries, including entire Africa, Latin America, as well as European countries.

Agappe, your best partner in diagnostics, has committed to supporting our nation to develop India as a manufacturing hub in domestic and international markets in the medical devices sector. Yes, opportunity is tremendous, let us undertake the philosophy of innovation, combined with indigenous manufacturing with world class quality and affordability and produce possible technology products to cater to the underpenetrated domestic needs.