By Sandra Dejean, PharmD – Founder of One Health Compliance
Originally published on LinkedIn in April 2026 and adapted for the website

Introduction

The One Health Summit held in early April 2026 in Lyon (France) brought together many stakeholders to discuss the links between human, animal and environmental health [1]. Among the recommendations presented on 6 April by the French food safety agency (Anses), the need to use diagnostics to guide treatments was highlighted [2]. It would have been interesting, however, to see a greater focus on veterinary diagnosis, given its importance in this One Health approach.

This is the subject of this piece that was originally published on LinkedIn in the days following the summit and developed here in more detail [3].

Veterinary diagnostics manufacturers already apply the One Health approach

For several years now, veterinary in vitro diagnostics players have been applying the principles of the One Health approach in their day-to-day activities.

Three concrete examples illustrate this:

• The COVID crisis. During the pandemic, companies such as Innovative Diagnostics, BioSellal and IDEXX were able to rapidly scale up production of diagnostic kits. This rapid response capacity, built within the veterinary sector, directly contributed to the human response to the pandemic.
• Environmental surveillance. The development of viral detection kits in wastewater, at the human/animal/environmental interface, is largely driven by these same players.
• The fight against antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Veterinary diagnostics guides treatments, reduces unnecessary prescriptions and monitors resistance in livestock [4]. These are exactly the levers identified in institutional recommendations and they are already operational in the field [2].

A capacity already organised and internationally recognised

This collective expertise is the focus of initiatives at various levels. For example Diagnostics For Animals, which unites veterinary diagnostics manufactures around shared strategic priorities to promote innovation and access to effective and safe diagnostic tests worldwide:

• Collaborates with the WOAH and EAVLD [5, 6],
• Has developed a unique mapping of international regulatory requirements applicable to veterinary diagnostic kits in order to work toward regulatory convergence and harmonization — a tool I contributed to as regulatory consultant, now covering over 120 countries [7].

Conclusion

One Health will be built with all its pillars and veterinary diagnostics is fully part of it. Its players have demonstrated their ability to operate at the interface of species and health systems, and their integration into institutional discussions and One Health initiatives is essential.

This also requires putting in place appropriate regulatory frameworks: processes that ensure the rapid availability of products on the market, while guaranteeing their safety, quality and performance. This is the condition under which veterinary diagnostics will be able to play its full role in an operational One Health approach.

These are precisely the challenges — regulatory strategy, market access and the applicable framework for veterinary diagnostics — on which One Health Compliance supports its clients.

→ Working on a veterinary diagnostics project? Let’s talk for 15 minutes.

References

[1] One planet summit. One Health Summit. [Online]. Available at: https://oneplanetsummit.fr/les-evenements-16/one-health-summit-305 [accessed september 2026].

[2] One Health, One Science – recommendations from the Scientific conference. [Online]. Available at: https://www.enseignementsup-recherche.gouv.fr/sites/default/files/2026-04/one-health-one-science—recommendations-from-the-scientific-conference-english-version-16-pages–39840.pdf[accessed september 2026].

[3] Dejean S. Why veterinary diagnostics are a One Health pillar? LinkedIn, April 2026. [Online]. Availabe at: https://www.linkedin.com/why-veterinary-diagnostics-are-a-one-health-pillar-dejean.

[4] Ugboma A, Troch JL, Dejean S, Hunault JL. eterinary Diagnostics: The First Line of Defence Against Human Infectious Diseases [Online]. Available at: https://theanimalecho.woah.org/en/veterinary-diagnostics-the-first-line-of-defence-against-human-infectious-diseases/ [accessed September 2026].

[5] Diagnostics for animals. Meeting Diagnostics for Animals / World Organisation for Animal Health –  February 5th, 2026. [Online]. Available at: https://diagnosticsforanimals.com/meeting-diagnostics-for-animals-world-organisation-for-animal-health-february-5th-2026/ [accessed september 2026].

[6] Diagnostics for animals. Strengthening Collaboration with EAVLD – Interview of the Chair. [Online]. Available at: https://diagnosticsforanimals.com/strengthening-collaboration-with-eavld-interview-of-the-chair/ [accessed september 2026].

[7] Dejean S. Case study: creating a database of veterinary diagnostic regulations for an international federation. LinkedIn, October 2025. [Online]. Available at: dy-creating-database-veterinary-diagnostic-dejean.

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