IDEXX extends in-clinic cardiac testing with new point-of-care assay for vets

IDEXX Laboratories launches a new in-clinic assay for cats and dogs, enabling faster cardiac biomarker analysis to support diagnosis and monitoring, expanding its Catalyst platform and highlighting a trend towards rapid, digital veterinary diagnostics globally, with North American availability in October 2026.

IDEXX Laboratories is moving cardiac testing closer to the consulting room with a new in-clinic assay for cats and dogs, betting that faster biomarker data will shorten decision-making and reduce dependence on specialist referral. The launch extends the company’s Catalyst platform into a larger slice of the veterinary diagnostics market, where heart disease is common but often under-investigated in general practice. It also highlights a wider commercial push towards point-of-care tools that combine speed, quantitative output and digital interpretation.

The Catalyst proBNP Test measures NT-proBNP, a marker used to assess heart disease, and is designed to support screening, diagnosis and disease monitoring. According to IDEXX, it can help identify subclinical disease in cats, inform pre-operative assessments, and distinguish cardiac from non-cardiac causes of respiratory distress.

The company says the test will run on its Catalyst analysers, which number nearly 80,000 globally, and will feed results into VetConnect PLUS alongside diagnostic history and interpretive guidance. North American availability is due from October 2026, with other markets to follow. IDEXX chief executive Mike Erickson said the product gives veterinarians “clear, quantitative results in minutes”, a claim that reflects the sector’s continuing shift towards in-practice diagnostics.