QIAGEN (QGEN) Publishes New Data on QuantiFERON TB Testing
QIAGEN QGEN recently made progress in tuberculosis (TB) testing. The company announced that a new, systematic review of the clinical relevance of test values from the company’s proprietary tuberculosis (TB) testing technology has been published.
More specifically, the study showed that the company’s proprietary QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus test is unique in the market with two primary blood collection tubes — TB1 and TB2. This technology enables the detection of responsive CD4 T-cells in TB1 and, additionally, CD8 T-cell responses in TB2.
A Few More Words on QuantiFERON
QuantiFERON is an Interferon-gamma release assay (IGRA) blood test that is claimed to be a superior alternative to the tuberculin skin test.
Universitas Padjadjaran, Indonesia conducted this meta-analysis on QuantiFERON testing and it was published in Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (CCLM). The systematic review was based on 17 studies and included 4,050 subjects. Per QIAGEN, it showed a higher level of interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) production in the QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus TB2 tube compared to the TB1 tube. This confirms the crucial role of CD8 T-cells in a broad immune assessment of TB infection.
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Further, the study showed the potential benefit of the TB2 tube for CD8 detection in certain high-risk populations like immunocompromised patients, especially those having CD4 T-cell deficiency.
Strategic Significance and Market Prospect
TB is a contagious bacterial infection that spreads primarily through the coughing of patients with the active pulmonary form of the disease. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there were more than 10 million new cases of active TB worldwide and 1.6 million deaths from TB in 2021.
According to QIAGEN, to prevent the spread of TB in the United States and many European countries, as well as in other developed and emerging markets around the world, detection in high-risk individuals is crucial. Also, TB tests play a vital role in achieving the World Health Organization's ambitious EndTB strategy goals, particularly in reducing TB-related deaths by 90% by 2030 compared to 2015 levels.
The latest favorable outcome from the systematic review on QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus confirms further exploration of the role of patient stratification with this testing. It also validates QIAGEN’s broader strategy of continual investment and improvement of the company’s diagnostic products.
Recent Progress With Test Menu
QIAGEN is progressing well with its testing menu expansion strategy.
In April 2023, QIAGEN announced that the QIAstat-Dx syndromic testing solution is expected to be available soon for use in Japan with a SARS-CoV-2 Respiratory Panel that can detect more than 20 pathogens from a single patient sample. It is expected to be available in Japan in mid-2023 after decisions on reimbursement levels and marks the next step after the recent granting of IVD approval for the test. The entry into Japan will add to more than 100 countries worldwide.
In March 2023, QIAGEN’s QIAxcel Connect won the prestigious Red Dot award. With this, QIAxcel became the fourth QIAGEN instrument to receive the Red Dot award. It highlights the company’s strategy of upgrading its portfolio to add new features, particularly wireless connectivity. QIAxcel Connect automates the analysis of the size and quality of isolated DNA and RNA. It combines ease of use, high capability, flexible throughput and economy in a single instrument.
The same month, QIAGEN announced that it would sell its premium enzymes as standalone solutions to provide academics and corporate clients the freedom to create their tests and processes. Since then, QIAGEN has evolved into a one-stop shop for all research requirements, offering services for sample preparation, automation and bioinformatics.
In January 2023, QIAGEN launched EZ2 Connect MDx for use in diagnostic laboratories. The same month, QIAGEN announced the enhanced QIAGEN CLC Genomics Workbench Premium that removes the data analysis bottleneck of next-generation sequencing by adding game-changing analysis speed to analyze and interpret whole genome sequencing, whole exome sequencing and large panel sequencing data.
Share Price Performance
Shares of the company have gained 6.6% in a year compared with the industry’s 0.9% rise.
Zacks Rank and Key Picks
Currently, QIAGEN carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).
Some better-ranked stocks in the overall healthcare sector are Penumbra PEN, Lantheus LNTH and Haemonetics HAE. While Penumbra and Lantheus each sport a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), Haemonetics carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) at present. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
Penumbra’s stock has risen 181.6% in the past year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Penumbra’s earnings per share (EPS) has remained constant at $1.56 for 2023 and $2.56 for 2024 in the past 30 days.
PEN’s earnings beat estimates in each of the trailing four quarters, the average surprise being 109.42%. In the last reported quarter, the company registered an earnings surprise of 109.09%.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Lantheus’ 2023 EPS has remained constant at $5.60 in the past 30 days. Shares of the company have improved 47.9% in the past year against the industry’s 19.5% decline.
LNTH’s earnings beat estimates in each of the trailing four quarters, the average surprise being 25.77%. In the last reported quarter, the company recorded an earnings surprise of 13.95%.
Estimates for Haemonetics’ EPS have increased from $3.43 to $3.55 for 2023 in the past 30 days. Shares of the company have increased 37.3% in the past year against the industry’s 19.5% decline.
HAE’s earnings beat estimates in each of the trailing four quarters, the average surprise being 12.21%. In the last reported quarter, Haemonetics delivered an earnings surprise of 13.24%.
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