Visiting our supporters across the commercial sector is always a pleasure for POCTInnovators and Thornhill Healthcare Events Ltd owner Tony Cambridge, whether it be company training days, product demonstrations, or in this case a grand opening of a new facility. I had the pleasure of being invited, along with a range of public and private sector experts, to the grand opening of the BHR BIOSYNEX head office, a company that has been supporting healthcare and driving point of care diagnostics in the UK for 34 years.
The day began with an early cross country train journey arriving late morning for a lunch time start. The new facility, located in Nuneaton, UK offers many improvements on the previous premises boasting an increased footprint of 7,043 square feet. The building houses both office and warehouse functions providing a suitable base for an innovative diagnostic solutions distributor.
I was greeted by Managing Director Ramesh Patel and Sales Director Amin Belal, following which I spoke to team members and caught up with old friends, meeting some of my contacts for the first time face to face. Amin then delivered a truly inspirational presentation, showing how a company with the right ethos and credentials can become a significant success story in the field.
BHR Pharmaceuticals Ltd was founded in 1990 supplying generic products to the UK before focussing on the point of care market throughout the decade selling products such as the Cameo pregnancy test. The launch of the Check-Mate dipstick pregnancy test saw the first product come to market bearing the BHR logo. A natural progression saw the introduction of a urinalysis instrument and test strips, and by the end of the decade BHR had introduced a handheld cholesterol meter, the Bioscanner 2000.
A notable achievement in 2003 was the launch of the CardioChek multi-parameter handheld cholesterol meter and throughout the 2000s BHR signed contracts with high street retailers to bring the technology to the patient. This culminated in the use of the device in the NHS Health Checks from 2009, the only approved handheld device for professional use.
Partnerships with Heart UK to deliver charitable community testing followed, and to date BHR is the market leader for POCT cholesterol testing with over 12,000 devices in use in the UK and over 9 million tests performed using the CardioChek system. The company has a strong history of supporting community initiatives and is dedicated to improving public health through their products and community activities.
With many other test and devices in the portfolio over the years, a few stand out like BHR’s commitment to diabetes care through marketing HbA1c solutions such as the A1CNOW disposable HbA1c test and POC-Quo Test A1c analyser. More recently the company has diversified, introducing new techniques and technology including FREMS (frequency-modulated electromagnetic neural stimulation) for treating symptomatic diabetic neuropathy, and time-resolved fluorescence (TR-FRET) on the ProciseDx platform for the quantitation of C-reactive protein (CRP), therapeutic drug monitoring (Infliximab, Adalimumab) and faecal calprotectin.
In 2022 BIOSYNEX acquired BHR Pharmaceuticals Ltd., in a move which strengthens BHR’s position in the market. BIOSYNEX has a presence in over 90 countries across multiple international territories and specialise in the design, manufacture and distribution of rapid diagnostics tests.
The vision is simple but profound. BHR BIOSYNEX UK are supporting disease prevention, improved management of known conditions and lead the way in improving the quality of life of patients and reduce costs to the NHS.
The presentation was followed by a tasty lunch and a tour of the facility, including a small laboratory area displaying new and old technologies illustrating the history and future of the company. It wasn’t long before the train station beckoned, and I had to say my goodbyes. It was a pleasure to be involved in celebrating the BHR and BIOSYNEX journey and I look forward to sharing the next chapters of success. BHR BIOSYNEX are of the highest pedigree and their dedication to supporting integrated healthcare cannot be overlooked.
For more information on the devices and tests offered by BHR BIOSYNEX visit their vendor page on www.POCTInnovators.com.
https://poctinnovators.com/vendor/bhr-biosynex/ or contact the company be email. info@bhr.co.uk
Tony Cambridge is the Managing Director of Thornhill Healthcare Events and Consultancy, and former Lead Biomedical Scientist in the Pathology Management team of a busy acute care hospital in England. He frequently speaks at national and international healthcare events, and is a key opinion leader for point of care testing. He is also a member…
The company was set up in 2018 by Tony Cambridge MSc. BSc. Lead Biomedical Scientist, who is the managing director. With over 20 years experience in Blood Sciences and more recently Pathology management, Tony set out to provide affordable training opportunities to healthcare organisations through a number of different ways, from small group seminars to…