Laboratories can meet the increased demand for Vitamin D testing with precise, consistent results in as little as 18 minutes.

Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics has announced that the ADVIA Centaur Vitamin D Total assay* has been approved by Health Canada for use on the ADVIA Centaur/XP Immunoassay Systems. The company is offering a fully automated Vitamin D total assay that is traceable to LC-MS/MS (liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry), considered the gold standard in vitamin D testing. In addition, the assay measures the total 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] level (~100% D2  and D3) to ensure patients are correctly evaluated for deficiency, sufficiency or toxicity.

Vitamin D deficiency has long been associated with rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults, and long-term insufficiency of calcium and vitamin D leads to osteoporosis. More recently, studies are linking vitamin D deficiency to several other disease states such as cancer, cardiovascular, diabetes and autoimmune diseases¹. At the same time, deficiency rates are increasing with more than one billion people being vitamin D deficient worldwide² as people limit their sun exposure due to the risk of skin cancer. As deficiency rates continue to rise – and support continues to build for vitamin D sufficiency as a general health indicator – so too has the demand for vitamin D testing.

A number of studies have reported discrepancies between assays used to measure vitamin D. This variability calls into question the assay’s ability to accurately identify individuals affected by vitamin D deficiency³. Siemens Vitamin D Total assay measures a patient’s total 25(OH) vitamin D level – ~100% of D2 and D3, the two major forms of vitamin D. The most widely used indicator of vitamin D status is the measurement of the metabolite 25-hydrixyvitamin D in either serum or plasma. Because circulating 25(OH) D can arise from hydroxylation of either D2 or D3, measurement of total 25(OH) D (both D2 and D3) is essential for accurate assessment of vitamin D status3.

“As testing volumes continue to increase, laboratories need to feel confident they can meet that demand with an accurate, reliable Vitamin D assay,” said David Hickey, CEO, Chemistry, Immunoassay, Automation & Diagnostics IT Business Unit, Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics. “The ADVIA Centaur Vitamin D Total assay enables laboratories to have it all – precise, consistent results with a turnaround time in as little as 18 minutes.”

Log onto www.meetme.net/vitamind to view a complimentary webinar that discusses how labs can stay informed about providing accurate and reliable vitamin D measurements. For more information about the ADVIA Centaur Vitamin D Total assay, visit www.siemens.com/vitaminDtotal.

* Siemens ADVIA Centaur Vitamin D Total assay is not available for sale in the U.S.


About Siemens Healthcare

The Siemens Healthcare Sector is one of the world’s largest suppliers to the healthcare industry and a trendsetter in medical imaging, laboratory diagnostics, medical information technology and hearing aids. Siemens offers its customers products and solutions for the entire range of patient care from a single source – from prevention and early detection to diagnosis, and on to treatment and aftercare. By optimizing clinical workflows for the most common diseases, Siemens also makes healthcare faster, better and more cost-effective. Siemens Healthcare employs some 48,000 employees worldwide and operates around the world. In fiscal year 2010 (to September 30), the Sector posted revenue of 12.4 billion euros and profit of around 750 million euros.

About Siemens in Canada 

Siemens is one of the largest and most diversified companies in the world of electronics and electrical engineering, operating in the industry, energy and healthcare sectors.  The company has approximately 5,000 employees in Canada, working to develop and manufacture products, design and install complex systems and projects, and tailor a wide range of solutions for individual requirements.   For almost 100 years in Canada, Siemens has stood for technical achievements, innovation, quality and reliability.  Sales for Siemens in Canada for fiscal 2010 (ended September 30), were $2.3 billion CAD. 

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