Siemens Healthcare announced today that it is one of the first commercial manufacturers to re-standardize its Advia Centaur Vitamin D Total assay1 to align with a reference measurement procedure used in the Vitamin D Standardization Program (VDSP) for vitamin D measurement. The standardized assay enhances accuracy and reliability in vitamin D testing and enables clinicians to generate reproducible and comparable results. With this step, the company demonstrates its competitiveness, one of the aims of the Healthcare Sector initiative Agenda 2013.
In recent years, vitamin D testing demand has increased significantly, due largely to growing evidence linking deficiency to diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular, diabetes and autoimmune diseases. This, in turn, has led to more commercially available automated vitamin D assays. However, since there has not been a universal vitamin D standard, different vitamin D assays and testing methods produced varying results. This raised the need for standardization among manufacturers and their assays.
To address this need, in 2010 the National Institutes of Health’s Office of Dietary Supplements (NIH ODS) introduced the VDSP, an initiative to standardize the la-boratory measurement of vitamin D status measurement worldwide. While the main focus of the VDSP is on standardizing measurements done in national health surveys, it also allows for participation of clinical, public health, research and commercial laboratories and commercial trade organizations in the standardization effort. Siemens is one of the first commercial manufacturers to voluntarily standardize to the reference measurement procedure of the VDSP.
“Standardization of vitamin D assays is critical to harmonizing test results and providing clinicians with greater confidence in the decisions they make regarding their patients’ care,” explains Dave Hickey, CEO of the Chemistry, Immunoassay, Automation and Diagnostics IT Business Unit of the Diagnostics Division of Siemens Healthcare. “Siemens chose to align its Vitamin D Total assay to the VDSP reference measurement to enhance the delivery of consistent and clinically accurate patient results to our customers.”
Additionally, the re-standardized Advia Centaur Vitamin D Total assay is now available with pediatric observed values (for ages 12 months to 21 years old). Studies have shown that vitamin D deficiency in children is widespread, and can lead to such issues as skeletal deformities, brittle bones, frequent fractures and even premature osteoporosis later in life.
Launched in November 2011, “Agenda 2013” is an initiative of the Siemens Healthcare Sector to further strengthen its innovative power and competitiveness. Specific measures, which will be implemented by the end of 2013, have been defined in four fields of action: innovation, competitiveness, regional footprint, and people development.
Contact for journalists:
Siemens Healthcare, Media Relations
Susan Drew, phone: +1 914-524-2844
E-mail: [email protected]
For further information on the Advia Centaur Vitamin D Total assay, please visit: www.siemens.com/vitamindtotal
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1 This version of the Advia Centaur Vitamin D Total assay is not available for sale in the U.S. The prod-ucts/features (here mentioned) are not commercially available in all countries. Due to regulatory reasons their future availability cannot be guaranteed. Further details are available from the local Siemens organizations.
The Siemens Healthcare Sector is one of the world's largest suppliers to the healthcare industry and a trendsetter in medical imaging, laboratory diagnostics, medical information technology and hearing aids. Siemens offers its customers products and solutions for the entire range of patient care from a single source – from prevention and early detection to diagnosis, and on to treatment and aftercare. By optimizing clinical workflows for the most common diseases, Siemens also makes healthcare faster, better and more cost-effective. Siemens Healthcare employs some 51,000 employees worldwide and operates around the world. In fiscal year 2012 (to September 30), the Sector posted revenue of 13.6 billion euros and profit of 1.8 billion euros. For further information please visit: www.siemens.com/healthcare.