Hundreds of thousands of patients are tested for the corona virus in Germany every week. The evaluating laboratories have significantly increased their capacities. However, the industry does not see itself as a crisis winner.
Berlin (dpa) - New staff, expensive laboratory technology and supplies of reagents and other medical materials: Many laboratories have invested heavily in recent months in order to be able to expand the test strategy in the corona pandemic.
Laboratories that specialize in these tests should benefit from the increased demand. For some, however, short-time work was also announced in the meantime - because doctors' offices and hospitals treated fewer patients with other diseases.
In order to be able to carry out tests for the coronavirus, many hired additional staff at an early stage and invested six to seven-digit amounts in the necessary equipment, is also called by the Association of Accredited Laboratories in Medicine (ALM). In the months of March to April alone, test capacities were increased nine-fold. The expansion of the test strategy in Bavaria, for example, and the obligation to test for those returning from vacation from risk areas have increased the need for testing - within a few weeks by more than 40 percent. According to the ALM, the utilization of the laboratories quickly rose to 67 percent of the maximum test capacity available at short notice.
150 established laboratories in Germany are currently evaluating corona tests, said Theo Stein, deputy chairman of the Professional Association of German Laboratory Doctors (BDL). "Corona should bring a profit increase to one or the other laboratory," said Stein. However, the situation is mixed: While some laboratories have specialized in corona tests, around 30 percent of them do not have the necessary technology. Smaller laboratories in particular would sometimes shy away from making high investments.
Especially at the beginning of the pandemic, laboratories had to register short-time working or let their employees cut overtime. The reason for this is that medical practices have treated 50 to 70 percent fewer patients. Accordingly, the need for laboratory diagnostics has decreased significantly, said Stein. State aid would partially offset the losses.
Similar to Stein from the Association of Laboratory Doctors, the ALM is critical of the lowering of the remuneration for corona tests. The evaluation committee, made up of representatives of the statutory health insurance companies and the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians, set the prices as of July 1st. Since then, laboratories for corona tests, which are initiated by resident doctors as part of the treatment of the patient, have received around 39 euros. Previously it was 59 euros. Hospitals receive 42 euros for laboratory diagnostics, which already includes a flat-rate transport fee.
"We have found an appropriate price that reflects the development in the laboratories from individual tests to mass tests," said Stefanie Stoff-Ahnis, member of the board at the National Association of Statutory Health Insurances, in June. The ALM sees it differently, according to which the reduction in the fixed remuneration by around 30 percent is "without a calculation basis". Laboratory investments would be called into question. How the pandemic will affect the laboratories that have introduced corona diagnostics in economic terms can only be said towards the end of the year.
The manufacturers of laboratory diagnostics do not currently see themselves as the "big winners" of the Corona crisis. Companies such as the manufacturers of laboratory tests and laboratory devices have continuously increased their capacities in the wake of the pandemic. The development can also be seen in companies in the so-called life science research industry. According to the VDGH, this provides technologies that are used in diagnostics and the development of vaccines and therapeutics against Covid-19.
Since February production has been increased by 1,800 percent, said Martin Walger, managing director of the Association of the Diagnostics Industry (VDGH). "In the overall market for laboratory diagnostics, the proportion of sales attributable to infection diagnostics is less than 15 percent," said Walger. The Corona crisis has increased this share significantly, but infection diagnostics will remain a market segment.
Two thirds of the companies represented in the VDGH manufacture tests for Sars-CoV-2 diagnostics or associated products and components. Companies that specialize in infection diagnostics and produce tests for the coronavirus recorded the comparatively strongest increase in sales. "Companies with a broad product portfolio will at best stagnate. Companies without corona diagnostics are the losers," said Walger.
The great demand leads to capacity problems. In the week from August 10 to 16, the participating laboratories reported a backlog of 17,142 samples to be processed, according to the current "Epidemiological Bulletin" of the Robert Koch Institute (RKI). 41 laboratories had named delivery difficulties for reagents, such as chemical substances that are necessary to detect the virus. The problems could lead to delays in clarifying possible Sars-CoV-2 infections - and thus also in the initiation of protective measures by the health authorities. Consumables and reagents are only stocked for short periods of time in the laboratories, partly because of their limited shelf life, according to the RKI. In addition, there is a strong dependency on individual manufacturers for some products.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 200821-99-248799 / 3
Statutory health insurance statement on prices for tests
RKI epidemiological bulletin 34