The introduction of holoTC will have a positive socio-economic impact. The project has demonstrated that holoTC is superior to the measurement of vitamin B12 in plasma for correctly identifying both those with vitamin B12 deficiency and those without the condition, the condition being defined based on an elevated level of the metabolic marker methylmalonic acid. In addition holoTC has other advantages over plasma B12, such as being less influenced by common biological confounders and being more adaptable to standardization, which both positively affect diagnostic utility.
A replacement of the new test for the old, plasma B12, will have a neutral cost impact as it requires no extra resources and will be run on the same automatic platforms. Thus, provided the analysis becomes generally available and competitively priced, general use of holoTC can be recommended.