It has long been an issue that not everyone in the world has access to high-quality diagnostics. Now, UK-based social enterprise Global Access Health (GAH) has officially announced the creation of a new company to help address this challenge. According to a June 15 statement introducing the new company, Global Access Diagnostics (GADx) will combine the low-cost manufacturing and scale-up capabilities of sister company Global Access Diagnostics (GAD) with the rapid diagnostics development know-how of Mologic Ltd, a company GAH acquired in 2021, under a single brand.
“Nearly half of the world’s population have little or no access to diagnostics; and only 1-in-5 people in low and low-middle income countries have basic diagnostic tests available to them,” said Mark Davis, CEO of GADx R&D (formerly Mologic), in a press release. “GADx’s foundation is based on three pillars: leadership in research and development, manufacturing prowess and Our Core Mission: reinvesting surplus. We are building an innovative social enterprise that puts underserved communities above shareholders and aims to create legacies that bring sustainable change to healthcare and business.”
GADx reinvests all surplus to bring affordable, high-quality diagnostics to those around the world who need them. Examples include:
- Developing tests for neglected diseases such as river blindness, bilharzia, and dengue
- Bringing tests—like those for COVID-19—to communities that need them
- Transferring diagnostic technology to low- and middle-income countries
In addition to these initiatives, the company also helps other companies scale up manufacturing of tests and “then facilitate local manufacturing and/or onward distribution throughout the world,” as well as offers contract research and development expertise. “This is an exciting next step for GADx, harnessing our individual expertise in lateral flow testing to transform rapid diagnostics,” said Mark Radford, CEO of GADx Manufacturing (formerly GAD), in a statement. “We have very well-established contract manufacturing capabilities to provide custom, flexible and scalable solutions, from low- to high-volume. This single brand portrays our group vision for the future of diagnostic testing[;] we look forward to progressing this to get the best tests to the most people, for the lowest cost and do so sustainably.”