The granted family of patents covers the anti-cyclic citrullinated peptides (CCP) test offered by Axis-Shield and its commercial partners and, with similar patents in Europe and the US, the test has strong global protection.
The anti-CCP test is said to be recognized as the test of choice in the early diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), often before the appearance of symptoms. This is very important in patient management, as early use of the powerful range of anti-rheumatic drugs now available may significantly delay disease onset and reduce disease severity, the company said.
The test has been incorporated into European guidelines for diagnosing early RA and is now reimbursed in all major European markets as well in the US and Japan.
Ian Gilham, Axis-Shield’s CEO, said: The anti-CCP test for rheumatoid arthritis is one of Axis-Shield’s fastest growing products and we are pleased to have obtained additional patent protection in the key Japanese market for this major test.
We look forward to further growing the market for anti-CCP as it becomes more widely available on the automated immunoassay systems of our commercial partners, and its superior performance compared to other tests in this area becomes established.