OREANDA-NEWS. After AIDS, tuberculosis has been ranked the second most deadly disease by the WHO. Global institutions such as the Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND) and the World Health Organization have been investing in timely, convenient, and affordable diagnosis and treatment of TB besides spreading awareness about it. All of these factors are indicative of the opportunity that lies in the global tuberculosis testing market. According to Transparency Market Research, the global market for tuberculosis testing is expected to rise at a CAGR of 4.3% between 2014 and 2020. Its market revenue was estimated to be worth US$1.9 bn in 2013 and is projected to reach US$2.6 bn by the end of 2020. 
 
How will advanced techniques help boost demand for tuberculosis tests worldwide?  
 
The tuberculosis testing market comprises tests such as culture based, smear microscopy, Mantoux test, radiography, nuclei acid tests, drug susceptibility, antigen and antibody based, phage based and Interferon-Gamma Release Assays (IGRA). Various government and non-government organizations are investing on research and development projects to come up with technologically advanced techniques to provide better accuracy and specificity to consumers. 
 
For instance, on July 18, 2016, Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore announced the invention of a new diagnostic technique for TB that will substantially decrease the lengthy procedure from two days to two hours. This technique will help in the detection of drug-resistant tuberculosis in patients in a short span of time accompanied with higher accuracy. 
 
However, among all the techniques used in the detection of TB, culture-based tests are the most widely accepted due to their high specificity and precision. The tuberculosis testing market is expected to take a leap due to the rising demand for advanced and improved techniques and the investment by organizations to meet these requirements. 
 
What opportunities can TB test providers gain from emerging nations?
 
Due to the enormous potential that the markets in the emerging nations bear, providers of tuberculosis tests are shifting their focus towards the emerging economies to capitalize the growth opportunities. The prevalence of a vast pool of patients in the Asia Pacific countries, such as China and India has surged the demand for tuberculosis tests in these countries. Asia Pacific was reported to be the largest market for tuberculosis testing in 2013. Among the developed nations, North America emerged dominant owing to the rising awareness about TB among people, better healthcare infrastructure, and the high acceptance rate of advanced and expensive TB tests.
 
However, the high cost of tuberculosis tests and treatments in various nations may hamper the global demand for tuberculosis tests in the upcoming years. To curb these, organizations worldwide are focusing on the research and development of techniques that would be economically viable for patients. 
 
Globally, Asia Pacific leads the tuberculosis testing market closely followed and North America and Europe. France, Spain, Italy, and Germany are the leading markets in Europe for TB testing. The leading players in the global tuberculosis testing market are Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., Akonni Biosystems Inc., F. Hoffmann-La Roche, Alere Inc. HAin Lifescience GmbH, Dickinson and Company, Hologic Inc., QIAGEN, and Becton. Some of these companies are also aiming to introduce novel TB testing techniques in the global tuberculosis testing market.