- Less than one tenth of one percent of labs in India are CAP and NABL
accredited
- Quest Diagnostics' laboratory also becomes one of only five labs in India
to achieve NGSP certification for Hemoglobin A1c testing for diabetes
MADISON, N.J. and GURGAON, India, Nov. 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Quest
Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE: DGX), the world's leading provider of
diagnostic testing, information and services, today announced that its wholly-
owned subsidiary Quest Diagnostics India Pvt. Ltd. has received certificates
of accreditation from the College of American Pathologists (CAP), a leading
international laboratory accrediting organization, and the National
Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL), the sole
government-authorized laboratory accreditation body in India, for its
diagnostic and clinical trials laboratory in Gurgaon, India. Accreditation by
CAP and NABL is widely regarded in the international diagnostic industry as
signifying that a laboratory performs diagnostic testing at the highest
quality standards.
In addition, the National Glycohemoglobin Standardization Program (NGSP)
has awarded Level I Laboratory Certification to the Quest Diagnostics'
laboratory in Gurgaon. Level I Laboratory Certification, which is recommended
by NGSP for laboratories conducting diabetes-related clinical trials,
indicates that a facility's testing fulfills NGSP's rigorous standards for
delivering accurate hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) testing for diabetes. The Quest
Diagnostics lab is one of only five laboratories in India to be certified by
the international program. The prevalence of type 2 diabetes in India is
expected to grow more rapidly than in any developed or developing nation,
climbing from 28 million patients in 2007 to more than 60 million by 2017.
"Accreditation by both CAP and NABL is a major accomplishment because it
indicates to physicians, hospitals, pharmaceutical companies and patients that
all major areas of a laboratory's operations exhibit the highest level of
quality assurance," said Palat Krishna Menon, M.D., Ph.D., medical director
for Quest Diagnostics India Pvt. Ltd. "Level 1 certification by NGSP is also
an important achievement because it means that physicians and pharmaceutical
companies can trust that our HbA1c testing results in India correlate to the
most rigorous global standards and provide the basis for making reliable
treatment decisions for patients with diabetes."
The accreditation programs of CAP and NABL are designed to promote
laboratory excellence by certifying only those laboratories that fulfill
rigorous criteria for quality assurance. Both accrediting organizations
conduct onsite audits to evaluate quality processes and other facets of a
lab's operations, and only accredit those labs that demonstrate the highest
quality standards. CAP and NABL investigators accredited the Quest
Diagnostics' facility in Gurgaon approximately two months after performing
separate onsite audits in September 2008. More than 100,000 diagnostic
laboratories operate in India according to estimates, but only approximately a
dozen are NABL and CAP accredited.
Quest Diagnostics began operating its 65,000 square-foot, state-of-the-art
laboratory in Gurgaon, a satellite city of Delhi, in March 2008. The business
offers the broadest range of diagnostic and wellness testing services in the
industry, including esoteric testing, clinical trials central lab and support
services, and risk assessment services to life insurance companies under the
ExamOne(R) brand.
About CAP
The College of American Pathologists (CAP) is a medical society serving
more than 17,000 physician members and the laboratory community throughout the
world. It is the world's largest association composed exclusively of
pathologists and is widely considered the leader in laboratory quality
assurance. The CAP is an advocate for high-quality and cost-effective medical
care. For more information, visit www.cap.org.
About NABL
NABL is an autonomous body under the government of India's department of
science and technology. It was established to promote competence of testing
and calibration laboratories through third-party accreditation. NABL assesses
medical laboratories against the International Organization of Standardization
(ISO)'s 15189 standard for medical laboratories. NABL has signed mutual
recognition agreements with Asia Pacific Laboratory Accreditation Co-operation
(APLAC) and the International Laboratory Accreditation Co-operation (ILAC).
For more information, visit www.nabl-india.org.
About NGSP
The National Glycohemoglobin Standardization Program (NGSP) aims to
establish standards for HbA1c clinical laboratory testing across the
diagnostic industry. The NGSP was formed in 1996 after the seminal Diabetes
Control and Complications Trial (DCCT) demonstrated that HbA1c levels
correlate with a patient's risk of developing diabetes disease complications,
such as heart disease. The International Diabetes Federation and American
Diabetes Association recommend treatment goals for patients with diabetes
largely on HbA1c levels. For more information, visit www.ngsp.org.
About Quest Diagnostics
Quest Diagnostics is the world's leading provider of diagnostic testing,
information and services that patients and doctors need to make better
healthcare decisions. The company offers the broadest access to diagnostic
testing services through its network of laboratories and patient service
centers, and provides interpretive consultation through its extensive medical
and scientific staff. Quest Diagnostics is a pioneer in developing innovative
new diagnostic tests and advanced healthcare information technology solutions
that help improve patient care. Additional company information is available at
www.questdiagnostics.com.
SOURCE Quest Diagnostics Incorporated
CONTACT: Laure Park (Investors): +1-973-520-2900, or Wendy Bost (Media):
+1-973-520-2800, both for Quest Diagnostics /
/Web site: http://www.questdiagnostics.com
http://www.ngsp.org
http://www.nabl-india.org
http://www.cap.org /
(DGX)