Comments on: H. pylori in Japan http://www.coyer.com/blog/2002/11/24/h-pylori-in-japan/ "Wireless Knowledge" Wed, 07 Jan 2009 13:07:31 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.1 By: Jim Coyer http://www.coyer.com/blog/2002/11/24/h-pylori-in-japan/#comment-50 Jim Coyer Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 +0000 http://www.coyer.com/blog/?p=12#comment-50 From looking at the very informative Helicobacter Foundation website, it looks like there are two existing diagnosis techniques: - the Carbon-14 Urea Breath Test, which involves swallowing a small radioactive pill. The patient then blows into a balloon, and the sample is analyzed. It takes about 10 minutes (when conducted on-site), and costs between $50-100. - the Carbon-13 Urea Breath Test, which does not involve measuring radioactivity. A breath sample is collected and measured using a mass spectrometer. The test takes about 30 minutes, and costs around $100. The market in Japan for a diagnostic device seems high if the 50% number is correct, but a displacement technology will have to show superior benefits to win adoption. Is the process more accurate, or the device less expensive? From looking at the very informative Helicobacter Foundation website, it looks like there are two existing diagnosis techniques:

- the Carbon-14 Urea Breath Test, which involves swallowing a small radioactive pill. The patient then blows into a balloon, and the sample is analyzed. It takes about 10 minutes (when conducted on-site), and costs between $50-100.

- the Carbon-13 Urea Breath Test, which does not involve measuring radioactivity. A breath sample is collected and measured using a mass spectrometer. The test takes about 30 minutes, and costs around $100.

The market in Japan for a diagnostic device seems high if the 50% number is correct, but a displacement technology will have to show superior benefits to win adoption. Is the process more accurate, or the device less expensive?

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