Randox Laboratories is a company in the in vitro diagnostics industry, developing diagnostic solutions for hospitals, clinical, research and molecular labs, food testing, forensic toxicology, veterinary labs and life sciences. Randox develops, manufactures and markets diagnostic reagents and equipment for laboratory medicine, with a distribution network of 145 countries. It is the official sponsor of the Randox Health Grand National from 2017.
Company profile
Randox was established in 1982 by its Managing Director, Dr Peter FitzGerald in Crumlin, and has since expanded globally. Randox manufactures more clinical diagnostic products than any other company in the world. It invests around 25% of profits into R&D, and almost a quarter of its staff are research scientists and engineers. Following the development of Randox Health - the first public facing division - the company became the title sponsor of the Randox Health Grand National.
Research and development
Beginning with a team of six employees, the company now has 1500 employees around the world. It is now moving into the Randox Science Park, a 45-acre R&D and manufacturing site housed on the former Massereene Barracks. It has also recently invested €25m in developing a site in Dungloe, Donegal. Randox Teoranta aims to create more than 470 jobs in research, engineering and life sciences by 2020. Randox's range of reagents covers many different techniques such as colorimetric, UV and immunoturbidimetric methods. As a result of heavy investment in R&D, Randox's portfolio has grown to provide a wider variety of reagents. Randox has become a leading specialist in developing dedicated reagents to work on competitor systems, including Dimension and Hitachi.
Products
Biochip array technology
Randox developed the world's first biochip array technology in 2002. BAT is a multi-analyte testing platform which allows simultaneous quantitative or qualitative detection of a wide range of analytes from a single patient sample. It screens biological samples in a rapid, accurate and easy-to-use format. £180 million was invested in research and development of BAT. With the development of the biochip, analysers were created to handle the biochip in a high throughput routine laboratory. The analyser range expanded from the evidence, to include the evidence evolution, evidence investigator and evidence multistat.
Clinical chemistry analysers
Randox's range of clinical chemistry analysers, the RX Series, accommodates low- to high-throughput laboratories. The RX monza, RX daytona, RX daytona plus, RX imola, RX Monaco and RX suzuka are marketed as 'An attempt to consolidate a laboratory's requirements onto one platform'. The throughput of the range varies, with the RX monza having the capability of up to 10,000 tests per year and the RX suzuka having up to 1,000,000 tests per year.
Quality control
Randox is the 3rd largest manufacturer of Quality Controls and Calibrators in the world. They specialise in third party controls that combine lots of analytes in a single control with the aim of consolidation. Covering over 390 parameters the Acusera branded portfolio of QC supplies 60,000 customers worldwide with QC material. Principle control products include Clinical Chemistry, Immunoassay, Urine, Cardiac and many more as well numerous other research based areas. Acusera 24.7 Live Online is an inter-laboratory data management programme, with the purpose of supporting the Acusera range of controls.
RIQAS
Randox International Quality Assessment Scheme is the external quality assessment scheme supplied by Randox. RIQAS is the largest international EQA scheme with more than 35,000 laboratory participants in over 123 countries. There are currently 32 programmes available spanning most areas of clinical testing. RIQAS is also ISO 13485 and UKAS accredited.
Controversies
Coronavirus testing contract
The company has been awarded a £133 million contract by The Department of Health and Social Care without having to compete for a tender. When asked if Owen Paterson had lobbied on behalf of the company a spokesman for DHSC said they were “unable to comment on the personnel matters of other organisations”.
Data tampering
In February 2017, two Randox employees were arrested on suspicion of perverting the course of justice amid allegations of data tampering within Randox Testing Services, used by many Police Forces in England and Wales for forensic toxicology. Randox acquired this laboratory in Manchester from Trimega laboratories which went into administration in 2014. As of November 2017, around 50 criminal prosecutions for driving offences had been dropped in what BBC home affairs correspondent, Danny Shaw, described as "the biggest forensic science scandal in the UK for decades". Police forces have begun reviewing over 10,000 criminal cases that may be affected by the alleged data manipulation, including sexual and violent crimes.
Owen Paterson
In March 2019 it was reported that former cabinet minister Owen Paterson, who was a consultant to Randox Laboratories, had helped to lobby the government to seek contracts for them. This violates rules stating that an MP may not lobby on behalf of a paying client.
