World Heart Day 2022
World Heart Day 2022
World Heart Day – Raising awareness of Cardiovascular Diseases
On 29th September, World Heart Day is an opportunity for everyone to stop and consider how best to use heart for humanity, for nature, and for yourself. Beating cardiovascular disease is something that matters to every beating heart.
In May 2012, world leaders committed to reducing global mortality from non-communicable diseases (NCDs) by 25% by 2025. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is accountable for nearly half of all NCD deaths making it the world’s number one killer. World Heart Day is, therefore, the perfect platform for the CVD community to unite in the fight against CVD and reduce the global disease burden.
World Heart Day is a global campaign created by the World Heart Federation in which it informs people around the globe that CVD, including heart disease and stroke, is the world’s leading cause of death claiming 18.6 million lives each year. It aims to highlight the actions that individuals can take to prevent and control CVD as well as to drive action to educate people by controlling risk factors such as tobacco use, unhealthy diet, and physical inactivity.
What are cardiovascular diseases?
Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are a group of disorders relating to the heart and blood vessels and they include:
- coronary heart disease – disease of the blood vessels supplying the heart muscle
- cerebrovascular disease – disease of the blood vessels supplying the brain
- peripheral arterial disease – disease of blood vessels supplying the arms and legs
- rheumatic heart disease – damage to the heart muscle and heart valves from rheumatic fever, caused by streptococcal bacteria
- congenital heart disease – malformations of heart structure existing at birth
- deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism – blood clots in the leg veins, which can dislodge and move to the heart and lungs
How can Randox help with these current global challenges
Cardiovascular disease, including heart disease, is easier to treat when detected early. Here at Randox, we utilise innovative diagnostic tests for early risk assessment capable of diagnosing disease at the earliest possible stages, because we understand that “prevention is better than cure”.
Randox Laboratories is a world leader in innovative diagnostics with 40 years’ experience and a leading provider of diagnostic reagents for the assessment of cardiovascular disease risk. Randox offer an extensive menu of cardiac biomarkers within the cardiology reagents panel including:
Risk Assessment
- CK-MB – useful in patients with chest pain; Creatine Kinase is an enzyme produced in many different types of cells, of which high levels indicate muscle trauma or damage.
- Myoglobin – a small protein which leaks out of muscle cells after injury, is also considered a biomarker for the detection of Myocardinal Infraction.
- Routine lipid tests to determine the patient’s cholesterol and triglyceride levels – HDL Cholesterol, LDL Cholesterol, Total Cholesterol and Triglycerides
- Independent risk assessment tests such as sdLDL Cholesterol and Lipoprotein(a) to determine any genetic factors which may increase their risk of CVD. Please note, this is necessary even for patients who have good cholesterol levels
- Secondary tests, such as High Sensitivity CRP, in addition to risk assessment markers and lipid evaluation – secondary tests are important in predicting future cardiac events of individuals with no previous history of CVD and those deemed healthy because of primary tests; approximately half of all heart attacks occur in patients classified as low risk. In addition, they can also be used to evaluate the risk of a recurrent cardiac event
- Homocysteine – elevated levels of homocysteine have been linked to various disease states including CVD. Extremely high levels are found in patients with homocystinuria, of which many suffer from early arteriosclerosis.
More information
If you are a clinician or lab interested in our Cardiology & Lipids Panel, we have a wealth of resources available:
Download our Reagents Brochure
Download our Cardiology & Lipid Testing Brochure
If you would like to get in touch with a Sales representative please email us reagents@randox.com
Cardiac QC
Acusera Cardiac Controls is designed to deliver an assayed solution for Tropinin I and NT-proBNP testing. Its intended use with Roche, Abbott and Siemens. This control is manufactured using only the highest quality material and offers a 7-day thawed stability at +2ºC to +8ºC.
Four levels are available covering the clinically relevant range, including High Sensitivity Troponin I.
Features and Benefits
- Liquid for ease-of-use stability
- Aqueous material
- 4 Clinically relevant levels (including Ultra-Low)
- Stable to expiry date at -18-24ºC storage
- Thawed stability of 7 days at 2°C – 8°C
For more information, visit our Cardiac Quality Control website
If you have any other queries, don’t hesitate on contacting us at qualitycontrol@randox.com
Heart Health Test
High Cholesterol is a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke therefore at Randox Health we have the Heart Health Test to keep our cholesterol at a healthy level. This is done from the convenience of your home with our home sample collection kit. Heart Health measures your total cholesterol, HDL (good) cholesterol, LDL (bad cholesterol) and triglycerides.
Why we get tested?
There is so much importance in identifying cholesterol imbalance early which allows you to make appropriate dietary and lifestyle changes which in turn reduces your risk of heart disease and stroke. It is essential to acknowledge that regardless of your age and physical health, anyone can have high cholesterol; high levels may be a result of genetics or lifestyle which can often display with no underlying symptoms. Those with a family history of heart disease, who are overweight/ obese, drink alcohol, smoke regularly, lead a sedentary lifestyle or have diabetes are at an increased risk and should get tested.
Find out more here
Want to know more about Randox?
Contact us or visit our homepage to view more.
Randox response to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) report, āGovernmentās contracts with Randox Laboratories Ltdā
27th July 2022: Randox response to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) report, ‘Government’s contracts with Randox Laboratories Ltd’
A spokesperson for Randox said:
“The PAC report is deeply flawed and wrong in assumptions it makes and the conclusions it draws about Randox.
“As the UK’s largest diagnostic company, with four decades of experience, over 2,000 professional staff on hand at the start of the pandemic and more than £350m of prior investment in diagnostic and engineering innovation, Randox was uniquely situated to respond to the national need when COVID-19 emerged in early 2020.
“In supporting the UK’s urgent requirement for coronavirus testing Randox reacted with speed, efficiency and flexibility in delivering value. The company developed and built, in record time, the UK’s largest COVID-19 laboratories and testing services. It provided the Department of Health and Social Care with a PCR testing capacity at the time of greatest need, rising from 300 tests per day to 120,000 per day by January 2021.
“Altogether Randox processed over 25 million samples for UK’s National Testing Programme and in support of international travel for business and personal reasons. This played a crucial role in keeping vital elements of the UK economy functioning during lockdowns.
“In adapting to rapidly changing DHSC and Department of Transport requirements, Randox delivered unique value to the government, the national economy and to individuals.
“At no stage, either during its deliberations or in its preparation of this report, did the PAC make any contact whatsoever with Randox. Consequently many elements of its report relating to Randox are false, based as they are, on wrong and unchecked assumptions about the company. For that reason, they and any publications arising from them are the subject of a legal complaint.”
“The issues the report raises around internal DHSC record keeping are clearly a matter for DHSC”
For all media enquiries, please contact Ian Monk on ian@ianmonk.com or +44 7970 026072 / + 44 203 011 1933
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Response to release of specified minutes, notes and correspondence relating to Government contracts awarded to Randox
4th February 2022: Response to release of specified minutes, notes and correspondence relating to Government contracts awarded to Randox
A spokesperson for Randox said:
“It is clear from these papers that Randox contracts were awarded in full compliance with government procedures and protocols in place at a time of the emerging pandemic.
“The awarding of the contracts reflected Randox’s extensive diagnostics capabilities within the UK and 40 years of experience in that field. As Secretary of State, Sajid Javid says in his statement, the service Randox provided was integral to the rapid building, from scratch, of the largest ever testing industry in UK history.
“Randox’s laboratories expanded rapidly in order to operate at scale and were the first laboratory to report over 100,000 PCR results in a day. It is clear from these papers that the company has delivered a vital and core part of the UK’s testing capacity.
“Randox remains proud of its performance and delivery of Covid 19 testing throughout the pandemic. To date Randox has reported almost 24 million PCR results and has played a key role in both keeping people safe and sustaining vital national infrastructure.
“Unlike other laboratories Randox was able from the outset to provide whole-system capabilities to deliver the tests. Both the World Health Organisation and the UK government agreed this capability was crucial to combating the pandemic.”
For all media enquiries, please contact Ian Monk on ian@ianmonk.com or +44 7970 026072 / + 44 203 011 1933
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Evaluation of Omicron Variant to Ensure Test Effectiveness
7th December 2021
Evaluating Omicron and Other SARS-CoV-2 Variants to Ensure Test Effectiveness
SARS-CoV-2, like all viruses, evolves over time through mutations, as it spreads and replicates. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, many variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, with different sets of mutations, have been observed worldwide. Most changes have little impact on the virus’ properties. However, some may cause increased transmissibility, severity of disease or the ability to evade the host immune response. Surveillance of genetic variations is therefore crucial to identify those variants which pose a higher risk to human health.
Variants may impact the performance of current diagnostic approaches. This is why Randox continuously review public genomic databases to assess whether any emerging mutations overlap with the assay design and monitor assay performance as part of post-market surveillance efforts to ensure the coronavirus assays continue to meet the highest quality standards.
In light of the emergence of the new variant of concern detected in South Africa, Omicron (B.1.1.529), Randox have analysed all publicly available sequences of the variant to predict any impact of defining mutations on assay designs.
As the COVID-19 assays from Randox Laboratories Ltd. are designed using a dual-target approach (ORf1ab, E gene) to reduce the impact of genetic variation in the SARS-CoV-2 genome, detection of SARS-CoV-2 is not predicted to be affected by the currently known variants.
Detection of SARS-CoV-2 using the Vivalytic rapid RT-PCR tests, targeting the E gene sequence are not affected by the identified mutations. Assay performance is not predicted to be impaired by the current known variants.
Randox Laboratories Ltd., in collaboration with leading technology manufacturer Bosch Healthcare Solutions, have developed a range of COVID-19 testing solutions, providing clear and concise results in a timely manner, directly at the point of care. Randox is a distributor for Vivalytic platform and cartridges.
For all enquiries regarding our COVID-19 assays performance , please contact marketing@randox.com
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Randox welcomes CMA moves to safeguard consumer interests around PCR testing
3rd December 2021
Randox Statement: Randox welcomes CMA moves to safeguard consumer interests around PCR testing
Responding to today’s announcement by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), a spokesman for Randox said:
“We welcome the role played by the CMA, with our full co-operation, in ensuring that consumers continue to get a fair deal during the Covid emergency.
“Randox has been happy to engage fully with the CMA from the outset to ensure in the interests of its customers while the company delivers millions of Covid-19 PCR tests to facilitate vital international travel against the changing requirements of governments.
“As the industry leader, Randox has been in the ideal position to both review the services required to support the international traveller and provide a consumer-industry standard of Terms and Conditions. These have, of necessity, evolved over time.
“In working with the CMA, Randox’s aim has been to ensure absolute fairness whilst building and providing critical services in a highly volatile and demanding environment.”
Additional Information
Randox has today welcomed engagement with the CMA to optimise Covid-19 PCR testing support for international travel whilst ensuring the sustainability of critical national services.
As the industry leader Randox has been in the ideal position to both review the services required to support the international traveller, and provide a consumer-industry standard of Terms and Conditions, which have evolved over time. In working with the CMA Randox’s aim has been to ensure absolute fairness whilst building and providing critical services in a highly volatile and demanding environment.
“Both industry and the travelling public have faced significant pressures in enabling international travel,” said a spokesperson. “From an industry perspective Government required immediate and large scale investment to establish validated end-to-end testing services, supported by nationwide logistics, with fully secure reporting to both individuals and Government. Yet there were no contracts, no expected duration for services and the requirement was based on a single product – Covid-19 PCR testing. It was also evident that Government would remove the requirement for such testing as soon as practicable and would not provide any further support.”
The spokesperson went on; “At the same time as requiring significant investment and a rapid response from industry, Government retained the right to alter demand on an almost daily basis and did so frequently by moving countries between the green, amber and red lists with no notice. Government subsequently removed the country lists entirely and effectively closed the requirements for international travel PCRs by moving to lateral flow devices in October – only months after establishing services.” The decision by the Prime Minister to reintroduce PCR testing at very short notice this week, without prior notice to industry, further illustrates the challenges faced.
It had also been clear that the public were faced with highly variable pricing by a number of suppliers – some advertising low prices, but which were only available in very limited circumstances – something Grant Shapps asked the CMA to review. “From the very start Randox committed to highly competitive and transparent pricing which was available across the nation,” said the spokesperson. “Our home testing kits are available at an all inclusive price of £43 with a click and collect service at £34.99 – we know that these represent excellent value for money.”
Randox’s engagement with the CMA has provided the ability to review consumer-industry terms and conditions in the light of very hard won experience. “We do hope that other providers will consider our terms and conditions,” said the spokesperson, “and we know that the CMA will provide further guidance where required.”
The spokesperson went on; “We at Randox are very proud of what we have achieved in very demanding and volatile circumstances. We have built and sustained a reliable and cost effective service to enable international travel – meeting critical business needs and ensuring friends and families can continue to meet. We are committed to providing this service for as long as Government requires.”
For all media enquiries, please contact Ian Monk on ian@ianmonk.com or +44 7970 026072 / + 44 203 011 1933
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Ministers and MPs Praise Randoxās āLife-Savingā Role In Delivering Mass Testing During Pandemic
18th November 2021
Speaking in the House of Commons on behalf of the government on November 17, Health Minister Gillian Keegan praised Randox’s 40 years of experience in testing and diagnostics. She confirmed to the House that as early as March 2020, Randox already had lab-based PCR testing capacity for Covid-19.
Recognising the imperative of testing as a weapon against the pandemic and facing a shortage of proven testing capacity, she said “the Government had made the common sense decision to work with companies that had existing diagnostic capability.”
The Minister continued: “The initial challenge that (Randox) faced was the challenge facing governments the world over: a shortage of machinery and transport. Nonetheless, it quickly overcame them to play a critical role in our pandemic response.”
She also confirmed that in June 2020, Randox was ahead of all other labs in process, plans, and reporting. A six-month-extension was agreed in September 2020, and by March 2021 Randox was exceeding contract targets, processing more than 120,000 tests in a single day.
Keegan said to date, that Randox has carried out over 15 million tests for Covid-19, and identified over 700,000 positive cases. “That is 700,000 people who might otherwise have gone on to spread the disease,” She continued: “As a result of this testing capacity, they received the right advice to isolate, thereby protecting their friends, their family and society at large.”
Her recognition of Randox’s crucial role in combatting the pandemic at its height was echoed by Maggie Throup MP, Minister for Vaccines and Public Health, who said that working with Randox was a decision which had “saved many thousands of lives”.
She told the House: “contracts with companies such as Randox have been some of the essential building blocks without which we would never have built what is now one of the largest testing networks in the world.”
Throup said she “utterly rejected” the idea that Randox had received any kind of special treatment.
“Our partnership with Randox is simply a reflection of the situation in which we found ourselves in March 2020”, she clarified, “facing a global pandemic of unknown and unprecedented proportions and acting as a responsible Government should. We worked against genuine fears that we would run out of vital testing equipment, that we would not have the capacity to test people and that the deadly virus might continue to spread from person to person, silent and undetected.”
“Working with Randox was the right thing to do, it was the responsible thing to do and, quite simply, it was a decision that has saved many thousands of lives”, she told MPs.
For all media enquiries, please contact Ian Monk on ian@ianmonk.com or +44 7970 026072 / + 44 203 011 1933
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House of Commons Debate | Randox Statement
17th November 2021: House of Commons Debate | Randox Statement
Randox will be pleased to co-operate fully in laying before the House all the material required.
Public disclosure will demonstrate the extraordinary efficiency and value for money provided by Randox through contracts awarded in full compliance with government regulations at a time of national crisis.
Contrary to much of what has been written and broadcast, lobbying played no role in the awarding of these contracts.
The company has 40 years experience in testing and diagnostics. It is proud of its performance and delivery under the contracts awarded to it on merit by the Government. They resulted in the delivery of more than 21 million Covid tests, 15 million of them to the National Testing Programme from the start of the emergency in the Spring of 2020.
At this time, hindered by global shortages and less experience than Randox, other laboratories were simply not able to provide whole-system capabilities to deliver the tests which the World Health Organisation and the UK government agreed were crucial to combating the pandemic.
11th November 2021: COVID Contracts | Randox Statement
Randox states categorically that political lobbying played no role in the award of Covid contracts to the company. The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) contracts to provide Covid-19 testing were awarded on merit to Randox as the largest healthcare diagnostic company from the UK. The entire process was transparent and compliant with government regulations in a time of national crisis.
Randox has almost 40 years experience in testing and diagnostics: it was one of the first companies in the world to develop a Covid-19 test and to have developed extensive laboratory, IT and logistic infrastructure to support large scale testing operations. The decision to award Covid-19 contracts was fully validated by the company’s performance and delivery under the terms of the contracts.
The company was awarded its initial Covid contract on 30 Mar 20 and, within a short period, had exceeded the initial Covid-19 testing capability of the entire NHS.
Subsequent DHSC planning required Randox to deliver 17,000 tests per day by the end of April and more beyond then. To facilitate and ultimately enable these extraordinary levels of delivery, Randox was temporarily allocated 5 extraction systems from universities in order to increase capacity. DHSC directed the Army to collect equipment, in line with their support for all Pillar 2 laboratories.
This was a pragmatic and transparent move by the DHSC to meet a critical national need to save lives and ease overwhelming pressure on the NHS. The extraction systems were returned once the systems ordered by Randox, against the backdrop of a global shortage of such equipment, had been delivered and installed.
Randox and its staff have striven tirelessly and innovatively to support the national Covid-19 testing effort. We are proud of our collective achievement at a time of crisis in being the only Pillar 2 laboratory to have reported in excess of 100,000 Covid-19 results in one day.
For all media enquiries, please contact Ian Monk on ian@ianmonk.com or +44 7970 026072 / + 44 203 011 1933
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COVID Contracts | Randox Statement
11th November 2021: COVID Contracts | Randox Statement
Randox states categorically that political lobbying played no role in the award of Covid contracts to the company. The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) contracts to provide Covid-19 testing were awarded on merit to Randox as the largest healthcare diagnostic company from the UK. The entire process was transparent and compliant with government regulations in a time of national crisis.
Randox has almost 40 years experience in testing and diagnostics: it was one of the first companies in the world to develop a Covid-19 test and to have developed extensive laboratory, IT and logistic infrastructure to support large scale testing operations. The decision to award Covid-19 contracts was fully validated by the company’s performance and delivery under the terms of the contracts.
The company was awarded its initial Covid contract on 30 Mar 20 and, within a short period, had exceeded the initial Covid-19 testing capability of the entire NHS.
Subsequent DHSC planning required Randox to deliver 17,000 tests per day by the end of April and more beyond then. To facilitate and ultimately enable these extraordinary levels of delivery, Randox was temporarily allocated 5 extraction systems from universities in order to increase capacity. DHSC directed the Army to collect equipment, in line with their support for all Pillar 2 laboratories.
This was a pragmatic and transparent move by the DHSC to meet a critical national need to save lives and ease overwhelming pressure on the NHS. The extraction systems were returned once the systems ordered by Randox, against the backdrop of a global shortage of such equipment, had been delivered and installed.
Randox and its staff have striven tirelessly and innovatively to support the national Covid-19 testing effort. We are proud of our collective achievement at a time of crisis in being the only Pillar 2 laboratory to have reported in excess of 100,000 Covid-19 results in one day.
For all media enquiries, please contact Ian Monk on ian@ianmonk.com or +44 7970 026072 / + 44 203 011 1933
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VeraSTAT – Enquiry
Excellence at the point of care, with accurate results in minutes
Health Minister Robin Swann visits Randox COVID testing laboratories
20th October 2021: Health Minister Robin Swann visits Randox COVID testing laboratories
Health Minister Robin Swann has today thanked local staff for their ongoing role in COVID-19 testing while visiting Randox Laboratories.
During his visit to the testing facility at Randox Science Park on the outskirts of Antrim, the Health Minister heard how the company significantly increased its testing capacity since the beginning of the pandemic.
Following a tour of the facility, Minister Swann, said: “Randox continues to play an important ongoing role in the fight against COVID-19 as part of the National Testing Programme and has enabled thousands of people in Northern Ireland to get tested quickly.
“There is no doubt, that we are in a very fortunate position in Northern Ireland to have companies like Randox. We have seen how the company and its highly skilled and expert workforce have been able to innovate and advance its testing capabilities to greatly support the pandemic. I want to personally thank the staff at Randox for all they have done in helping to keep people safe.”
Minister Swann added: “We are continuing to see a high number of positive cases each day in Northern Ireland which is concerning. Therefore I would again remind people of the importance of getting tested should they develop symptoms. Alongside vaccination and contact tracing, COVID-19 testing remains one of the main pillars of protection against this virus. Please do the right thing.”
Dr Peter FitzGerald, Randox Managing Director said:
“We are delighted to welcome Minister Swann to our COVID testing laboratories at the Randox Science Park in Antrim, to witness first-hand the incredible efforts of our hard-working staff, who have been at the forefront of COVID-19 testing since the outset of the pandemic and as such have played a vital role in the global fight against coronavirus.
“Thanks to their ongoing commitment to serve our communities in these difficult times, Randox remains amongst the very largest COVID-19 laboratories in the UK and Europe, and to date has processed almost 20 million tests for the UK National Testing Programme and testing for international travel.
“Randox have built on 40 years of diagnostic experience, and extensive R&D, to provide our extensive COVID-19 testing capabilities and we will continue to support the community and the needs of travellers for as long as that is required. Thereafter we know that diagnostics have a key role in future healthcare, to both prevent disease and optimise its treatment, and will refocus our efforts to that end.”
Since March 2020, Randox has invested a total of £150 million in the development of new innovations in testing technology and in the building and equipping of world-class testing laboratories, sample collection clinics, and associated logistics networks. The company has also grown its workforce by more than 850, and continues to recruit across science, manufacturing and customer support.
For further information please contact Amy Millar, Randox Public Relations Team Leader; amy.millar@randox.com or 028 9442 2413