Has anyone tried regular XS strips in a Coaguchek INRange machine?

[csigabiga]

Hi all,

I'm wondering, does anyone use regular XS PT Test strips (not the PST strips) on an INRange machine? They seem more available and cheaper.

A Roche rep told me they will not work, but I'm not sure I believe them. Any experience or insights would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Protimenow]

I shouldn't be answering this because I don't have an InRange - but others here said that the old strips will work in the new machine - and, apparently, the new strips are also backwards compatible.

Others may correct me on this.

It's hard for me to imagine that Roche will be selling strips that don't work in one or both machines -- especially since there are so many XS meters out there. But strange things have been done by other companies.

MAYBE Roche will eventually make new strips that can't be used in the older machines, but I suspect that there will be a lot of warnings before this happens. MAYBE when there are ENOUGH InRange meters already sold, Roche will phase the strips out, but I don't imagine this will happen any time soon - there are too many users, and too many clinics relying on the old meters for this to NOT bother current users (unless, perhaps, Roche comes out with a meter replacement program that would probably cost them a LOT of money).

(I'm thinking about when AT&T discontinued 3G on their phones -- a lot of medical equipment and other critical devices that only worked with 3G would have been unable to work without 3G. AT&T had to do SOMETHING to handle this - I'm not sure exactly WHAT (probably retained 3G for these devices and locked phones out). Roche may have to do something similar or, as mentioned, free upgrades for meters that won't work with the new strips.

I think Roche tech support was probably wrong about the strips - but look forward to a more definitive answer from someone who has actually tried the new strips in an old meter.

 

[csigabiga]

Thanks for the reply. A lot of good points, but would love to hear some first-hand experience from some valvies who have used regular XS strips on an INRange meter before I go ahead an purchase the regular XS strips

 

[Protimenow]

Are you in the United States? One member said that Roche said that the InRange wasn't FDA approved. If you're in the U.S., how did you get the meter?

IIRC - someone here said that they WILL work - but I'm also curious about what others who actually TRIED the old strips in the new meter say.

 

[3mm]

I found the following regarding the XS and InRange meters:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/dg...ges-to-the-coaguchek-xs-system-pdf-4844245789
Apparently this is from a UK government health agency? Also interesting, this is from 2018; so in 2018 the UK switched to the InRange meter and stopped distributing the XS meter.

It does NOT list the "CoaguChek XS PT Test" strips as being compatible with the InRange meter.

 

[pellicle]

Hi
firstly to answer @csigabiga I have used both when I bought one type over the other by mistake

I did a test when I rolled over with the last strip of the old strips with the first of the new on my Coaguchek XS machine. The INR's were idential. I decided later to call Roche and ask about it

I wrote it up here:
https://cjeastwd.blogspot.com/2023/04/pt-test-pst.html

So I rang Roche (in Australia) and spoke with a "Technical Support" officer who informed me that the two were interchangeable but there may be some differences in electronic communications. She was surprised when I said that my seller has a different price on the XS PT Test vs the XS PT Test PST.​

​

She also said to me that she thought that the difference between the names was PST was for "Patient Self Testing" ... (making me wonder what's happening over there in the Good Ole US of A)​

​

All very interesting. Given that I have the XS (and not the INRange) I'll be using the earlier (and cheaper) ones in my XS ...​

It does NOT list the "CoaguChek XS PT Test" strips as being compatible with the InRange meter.

Hey Mark, I'm going to say :

• my personal experience in working in government bureaucracy is that people who don't know anything about the topic are usually tasked with creating policy and writing up stuff
• as a precaution they would just neatly separate the two devices because they buy in such large quantities and by advance order ... why would they even concern themselves with "part interchangability"

More generally for what its worth if you (third person infinitive, not you @Mark Miller have the INRange then I suggest buying those strips, its not worth trying to save money on this difference. However if you've got one machine and bought the other strips I'll say its probably OK to use them. Indeed this company (who is presumably subject to liability law suit) says this:
https://scownspharmacy.com.au/produ...rips-for-coaguchek-xs-xs-plus-xs-pro-inr-test

 

[csigabiga]

Are you in the United States? One member said that Roche said that the InRange wasn't FDA approved. If you're in the U.S., how did you get the meter?

IIRC - someone here said that they WILL work - but I'm also curious about what others who actually TRIED the old strips in the new meter say.

Canada

on my Coaguchek XS machine

All good that they both worked on the XS, but the big mystery is what will happen on the INRange machine. It wouldn't surprise me if Roache is just trying to maximize profits (seems to be working as the PST ones seem to be harder to find) but also wouldn't surprise me if it just didn't work.

 

[pellicle]

All good that they both worked on the XS, but the big mystery is what will happen on the INRange machine.

IIRC I know two people with INRange's and I'll ask them if they've used the PT strips (I'm pretty sure one of them has and found no difference and bought them because they were cheaper).
I'll get back to you

but also wouldn't surprise me if it just didn't work.

given what Roche directly told me when (as I said) I directly asked they said they work on both machines (but some features may not work). Features will not be "showing your INR" I'd expect that "features" are the professional requirements such as multipatient stuff.

 

[csigabiga]

Features will not be "showing your INR" I'd expect that "features" are the professional requirements such as multipatient stuff.

The person I spoke with said and I quote:

"The strips should not work and should give you an error message". They then proceeded to ask the lot # and serial number of my meter to check.

If you could ask those two people, I'd love to find out!

 

[Protimenow]

'Should not' work doesn't necessarily mean 'will not' work.

As Pellicle speculated, perhaps the new strips provide information that the old strips don't - things that are useful for reporting INR or advanced diagnostics, or other functions. I suspect that the original XS strips obviously lack these capabilities - but should (again, should, not won't) work in either machine, although an XS strip in in InRange meter wouldn't support all the features built into the InRange, and the more expensive PT strips would probably work in an XS but, of course, the extra capabilities would be wasted on it.

----
Perhaps it's like a 4K TV versus a High Def TV vs, perhaps, an old TV show.

A 4K TV will show content made for HD TVs, and will even show old episodes of The Beverly Hillbillies -- although the best picture will use content MADE FOR display in 4K, the 4K TV will give the best picture. BUT - 4K content would display on the HD TV, but at lower resolution. The Beverly Hillbillies will play on both sets, and still look pretty crummy.

The point is - the newer TVs would do their best with content made especially for them (InRange and PT strips), and the HD TVs would show the 4K content, but at a lower resolution (XS using PT strips designed for InRange to get the most data). They are both compatible with either machine - but an InRange might better take advantage of stuff in the PT strips that the 'standard' strips don't support.

With millions of XS meters out there, it wouldn't make a lot of sense to block the use of PT strips in the 'old' XS.

 

[csigabiga]

I hope that's the case. If so, I would be buying regular XS strips all day long.

However I get the feeling that Roche has an interest in me not doing that. The PST strips are more expensive and seem to be less available online. I read somewhere that somehow by upgrading their machine and strips they are able to prevent people from buying and shipping Roche supplies from countries where it might be available cheaper (Greece) and thus maximize their profits.

This bears out as I was told that PST strips "should only be bought from a local pharmacy" (where it happens to also be the most expensive)

 

[pellicle]

Hi

I hope that's the case. If so, I would be buying regular XS strips all day long.

I have absolutely zero doubt that it is the case.
why not buy a set and try? Then if they don't you can act stupid and ask Roche.

However I get the feeling that Roche has an interest in me not doing that.

I suspect that Roche has people who don't have a clue and are hired to be on front line support. If you've been on front line support or dealt with that as a group within your own institution you'll know that they have a playbook, written answers to common questions, they can not answer differently (and yes the recording is for their coaching such as "why did you say that" ... it does get reviewed.)

The PST strips are more expensive and seem to be less available online.

how much difference in price are we talking here? 20%?

I read somewhere that somehow by upgrading their machine and strips they are able to prevent people from buying and shipping Roche supplies from countries where it might be available cheaper (Greece) and thus maximize their profits.

sounds like most of the bullshit I read on line. Designed to scare you.

This bears out as I was told that PST strips "should only be bought from a local pharmacy" (where it happens to also be the most expensive)

by "this" you mean your theory?

As an electronics engineer (yes I have training and experience there) this sounds like smoke. Myself what Roche Australia told me sounds right (and I got up to the head of technical support because of my question).

I'll get back to you with what the others report when they get back to me.

Remember I wrote this blog post because I specifically legitmately bought the "wrong" type and didn't even notice till I was half way through it.

https://cjeastwd.blogspot.com/2023/04/pt-test-pst.html
in case you didn't actually read that:

it specifically says on the box it does both so it seems dubious to me as to how could the the INRange would not work with the XS strips? There would have to be product warnings on the box of the INRange.



Best Wishes

 

[pellicle]

I hope that's the case. If so, I would be buying regular XS strips all day long.

From a whatsapp reply

so to any other readers "yes"

 

[Martin1962]

I've mentioned before that I did query this with Roche UK back in Sept 2022. They told me that the newer INRange meter will only work with the newer PST strips. The PST strips are however backwards compatible with the older xs meter (which Roche no longer sell). Here in the UK both strips are roughly the same price, about £75 for 24 if purchased direct from Roche's distributors.

 

[Protimenow]

Martin1962 wrote that Roche no longer sells the XS - but this may only be in the UK.
It's been written that the InRange hasn't been approved for sale in the U.S. - I haven't been able to confirm this.

If the XS is no longer being sold in the UK, I wonder if this has any effect on manufacture and sales elsewhere globally.

In other words - is Roche still MANUFACTURING the XS or have they switched their manufacturing and production only to Vantus and InRange. If I had time to spend on this, I'd find out...but NOT today.