Ekf Diagnostics Share Discussion Threads

[wan] 17/8/2015 07:59

Diabetes has reached epidemic proportions, even in the UK -

Diabetes cases soar by 60% in past decade
By James Gallagher
Health editor, BBC News website
7 hours ago

She told the BBC News website: "It's very noticeable in that not a week goes by that you don't make a new diagnosis of diabetes, at least one or sometimes two or three; previously that might have been one a month."

The complications of uncontrolled blood sugar levels can be severe, including nerve damage, loss of vision and organ damage.

[buywell3] 16/8/2015 18:42

The chart ie market, takes this view


free stock charts from uk.advfn.com



Perhaps sometimes it is better to concentrate on making an acquisition become profitable before moving on to the next , and the next , and the next.

Making profits is not easy , making acquisitions is , it only requires a pen and ink and some money.

[wan] 06/8/2015 15:43

Hmm, signs of life!

[bigman] 04/8/2015 19:42

Very well put interstellar....

[interstellar] 30/7/2015 10:22

Oh Wan. Are you getting tired of all this jam tomorrow stuff- I know I certainly am. Today we are still trawling around the 20 pence a share mark a full 5 years into the story. Point of care stuff (a s you well know) has been trotted out and lauded for donkeys years now by a whole bunch of wannabe diagnostic entrepreneurs (or charletans- take yer pick). I want EKF to deliver and deliver NOW. We'll get a trading statement soon enough but I am not hopeful and draw little comfort from predictions by marketing guys

[wan] 29/7/2015 08:27

Point-of-care testing: a look ahead

By Martyn Lewis, August 2015

POCT is, arguably, the most significant growth area within diagnostics. The potential for the technology, because of the low cost of implementation and the future paradigm of mobile and wearable diagnostic devices, is vast and allows a vision of personalized, affordable healthcare.


Martyn Lewis serves as Head of Marketing at EKF Diagnostics. EKF manufactures point-of-care analyzers for use in HbA1c, hemoglobin, glucose and lactate measurement, and also has a portfolio of clinical chemistry reagents.

Full story -

[wan] 24/7/2015 16:06

Interstella...To my knowledge no time frame was given for the SR, it's not exactly something you can pin down from the outset. A Trading Update should be due any week though. FYI, new product launches continue -

EKF Diagnostics launches new clinical chemistry analyzer at AACC 2015
Published on July 23, 2015

his new bench-top platform represents EKF Diagnostics’ first fully integrated chemistry system designed for the global market.

[interstellar] 24/7/2015 14:55

Anybody know when the "strategic review" is going to be published. It should be June/July but we are pretty close to the end of that target window and no hint thus far. Also I would have thought they would be planning an investor presentation in London to highlight the findings and the strategy going forward. No sign of that in the planning either. Getting nervous.................

[wan] 21/7/2015 08:12

Following on from the above post;

Research and Markets: US Tumor Marker Testing Market 2015-2019: Supplier Shares, Country Forecasts, Innovative Technologies, Competitive Strategies
July 20, 2015

2015-2019 US Tumor Marker Testing Market is a new strategic analysis of the major business opportunities emerging in the cancer diagnostics market during the next five years. The report examines trends in the US cancer diagnostics markets; reviews current and emerging tests; analyzes potential applications of various diagnostic technologies; forecasts sales of major tumor markers and market segment; profiles leading market players and potential entrants; and suggests alternative business expansion strategies for suppliers.

The cancer diagnostics market is on the verge of explosion, as the researchers approach major technological breakthroughs in tumor diagnosis and therapy, discover new specific antigens, and unlock the mystery of the genetic basis of the disease. During the next five years, the worldwide cancer diagnostics market is promising to be an exciting, dynamic and rapidly expanding field. Anticipated technological breakthroughs will create numerous opportunities for determining genetic predisposition, detecting specific tumors, and monitoring biological response to cancer therapy. The rise in geriatric population will further compound the growing demand for malignancy assays and the rapid market expansion.

[wan] 20/7/2015 07:55

Jeremy Stuart, PhD, MPH, serves as co-founder and Vice President for Selah Genomics, a Greenville, SC-based molecular diagnostics company which is a subsidiary of EKF Diagnostics. He works with the Greenville Health System at their Clinical Genomics Center to provide molecular profiles for cancer patients.

The molecular menu: evaluating approaches to tumor profiling

By Jeremy Stuart, PhD, MPH, July 2015

[wan] 17/7/2015 07:52

Alere are indeed becoming very focused! Yesterday they announced two transactions; earlier this month it divested its BBI business to a UK-based firm, Exponent Private Equity, for approximately $164 million and purchased a US Diagnostics for $60m

[wan] 17/7/2015 07:27

16 July 2015. EKF Diagnostics’ Growth Drives New Role Creation



More new products -

EKF Diagnostics to Showcase Comprehensive Clinical Chemistry Range at AACC 2015

EKF Diagnostics, the global diagnostics company, will be highlighting its expanding Stanbio clinical chemistry range at AACC, 26-30 July, Atlanta, Georgia. This range includes a large selection of clinical chemistry assays, controls and calibrators, which are fully compatible with most major brand open channel chemistry analyzers.

On booth #1018, EKF will discuss the latest additions to its Stanbio range of liquid-stable clinical chemistry reagents (Liquicolor® and Liqui-UV®) which are designed for maximum stability and ease of use. These include the Stanbio Chemistry Glycated Serum Protein (GSP) LiquiColor® test; a new diabetes biomarker test that provides a 2-3 week indicator of average blood glucose,as well as the Stanbio Chemistry Procalcitonin (PCT) LiquiColor® Assay for early sepsis identification.

New for 2015 is EKF’s automated benchtop chemistry analyzer, the Altair240; a high performing and cost effective solution for laboratories, as a main unit or backup. The Altair240 has a user-friendly interface with LIS bi-directional connectivity and can perform up to 240 tests per hour.

EKF will also be highlighting two of its point-of-care (POC) hematology analyzers at AACC. These deliver quick and laboratory accurate results to aid diagnoses of anemia and associated conditions within a variety of near-patient settings, including hospitals, clinics, blood banks and in challenging field-based conditions.

A hand held device delivering results in <2 seconds, DiaSpect Tm is the world’s fastest hemoglobin measurement system offering laboratory quality performance for anemia screening in all climatic conditions. The HemoPoint H2 stores over 4000 patient results, and is designed for use in blood banks, clinics and hospitals and provides immediate lab-quality results for both hemoglobin and hematocrit - from one test. Its proprietary “soft load” cuvette holder is designed to minimize contamination of the meter.

In addition, live demonstrations of EKF’s Quo-Lab, Quo-Test, STAT-Site M B-HB and Lactate Scout will take place at the booth throughout the day.

See more at:

[wan] 01/7/2015 07:27

An interview with Julian Baines -

Editorial Article: EKF Diagnostics: In Profile
Building an international diagnostics company
29 Jun 2015

Five years ago, EKF Diagnostics was a specialist manufacturer of a small range of blood analyzers with niches in diabetes, sport medicine and blood banking. Today, the company's expertise now extends across three core divisions, with recent studies highlighting the involvement of EKF's Molecular division in one of the most exciting clinical developments of the year, liquid biopsies for cancer diagnostics.

Planning for the future Looking forwards, EKF is planning to grow further across the entire portfolio. The Central Laboratory division will focus on developing its ketosis, sepsis and blood sugar assays. The Point-of-Care division is looking forward to the commercial release of SensPoint, a lactate analyzer that promises to contribute in saving lives on the maternity wards by helping clinicians make real-time decisions in the birthing process. Maternal and Women's Health is a new business unit for EKF and very much in its infancy. The focus of this unit will be to address conditions and complications associated with pregnancy and childbirth. Julian's personal priority for 2015 is to establish EKF as a pioneer in the molecular diagnostics sector. More work is required to fully demonstrate the clinical validity of PointMan™ technology; studies at Massachusetts General Hospital and with ANGLE Plc have gone a long way towards confirming this. In fact, thanks to the direction of Julian Baines, EKF is at the forefront of some of the hottest areas in clinical diagnostics; personalized medicine and molecular diagnostics, as well as point-of-care diagnostics. If you didn't notice the company before, now might be a good time to take a look.

Full story -

[wan] 26/6/2015 08:29

Given the aging population in the US (and indeed elsewhere) and the fact that Obamacare will drive healthcare spending, yesterdays news that the Supreme Court has decided that every American should have access to quality health care appears to further improve the prospects for EKF's US business.

[wan] 25/6/2015 09:20

Good morning Cisk...I think judgement proper will be on the full year, but nonetheless, the trading update (and the interims) will provide an important window on progress.

Alere's renewed focus might also mean we see them perform better from a distributor perspective (also Alere Japan was a new territory agreement). If there is going to be any fireworks though, I would not expect anything until completion of the strategic review, plus I would prefer to see the results from a number of collaborations.

[cisk] 25/6/2015 08:59

Morning Wan

Agree - Mgt will be judged on next month's update - but as we both know, it takes a long time to gain any sort of traction in diagnostics - in fact anything healthcare related - as my small holding in Deltex will attest to!

Very interesting news re: Alere; given the already strong relationship between them and Ron's shareholding in both companies it would not be a surprise.

However I'm in it for the long term and believe that the share price can be at multiples of its current level, so personally I wouldn't want to see them taken over at a price anywhere near the current share price.

Hopefully patience will be my biggest ally...

[wan] 25/6/2015 07:53

I thought the recent news regarding NICE recommendations/guidelines for an increase in early cancer diagnostics could provide an opportunity for EKF, EKF think so too -



I have also been catching up on Alere, who have been executing a divestment strategy which is complete (I think) selling off non-core divisions with a new focus on diagnostics. Plus they have recently restructured their debt and they plans to use the remaining proceeds for acquisitions, capital expenses, working capital, and other general corporate purposes. Perhaps one to watch if only from an industry perspective.

Trading update is due next month, so it will be interesting to see if the managements confidence in delivering on "The key deliverables for 2015" is being achieved/gaining traction.

I note also the AR provided a few extra interesting snippets.

[pugugly] 02/6/2015 13:45

wan: Thanks - I suspect the profitability or not of an investment may well as you point out in the extracts above depend on the price privat equity are prepared to pay and for how much of the company.

Remember the last fund raising was at 35p and the institutions will (imo) be putting pressure on managemennt to achieve at least this but if they could see a way of cutting their losses they might well grab it !

However as currently sitting on the N1+S target may well not be much to go for. Cannacord might give us 15% after costs.

Possibly not enough incentive (for me !!) at the moment.

[pugugly] 01/6/2015 17:46

wan:- You are doing a great job a keeping us up to date on product developments and diagnostics is a fast growing sector of pharma (which is why I am here) BUT EKF management have made some very bad calls and had bad luck in the recent past.

Canaccord are forecasting an adjusted eps loss next year and ZERO eps for 2016 and 2017 so I find it hard to reconcile a market cap of some £90 million UNLESS the current strategic review anticipated to be ready by the end of June/July can pull a rabbit out of the hat. OK it might do a Carclo and bounce back after their CIT problems but they were at least making profits - These are not.

While they have a wide range of diagnostic products available I do not have enough knowledge of this area to evaluate them against competitive offerings - they are certainly not (overall) making a bottom line profit for shareholders.

Possible break-up and sell of the pieces but if there is any hidden value I would have expected a low ball bid by now and all brokers appear gloomy. Except for the house broker BUT they have to be !!!! If N1 correct virtually nothing to go for after factoring possible risks

Date Broker Recommendation Old target price New target price
13 May Canaccord GenuityHold 27.00 27.00
13 May N+1 Singer Hold 23.00 23.00 23.00
02 Apr Panmure Gordon Buy 39.00 39.00
02 Apr Canaccord GenuityHold 27.00 27.00
02 Apr N+1 Singer Hold 23.00 39.00

Any thoughts ?

[wan] 29/5/2015 07:38

EKF Diagnostics will be exhibiting its range of molecular diagnostics products supporting personalized medicine in cancer at the 2015 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting, 29th May to 2nd June, McCormick Place, Chicago, Illinois

[wan] 20/5/2015 07:23

Some additional an interesting Precisionpath coverage -

[totaleclipse] 13/5/2015 10:28

Good point Wan. As the big pharma's move towards personalised healthcare the more they will want either a) to tie up a smaller firm with the scientific competency in a share value enhancing agreement/ collaboration or b) to acquire said competencies with an outright acquisition. Either way it can only be good news for the longer term prospects for EKF.