Thiopurine drugs suppress the immune system and are used in the treatment of a wide range of diseases, such as inflammatory bowel disease, leukemia and lymphoma, autoimmune diseases and skin disorders such as psoriasis and severe eczema.
The drugs are also used to treat organ transplants patients. The most commonly used thiopurine drug is called azathioprine.
Biomerica reported that the product will be available for sale within the next six months. The TPMT product will initially be sold internationally and in the US only after FDA clearance.
Zackary Irani, CEO of Biomerica, said: “Currently there is no simple test a hospital can use to detect TPMT and therefore the sample must be sent to a specialty reference lab, which is more costly, takes time and impedes patient care.
“This new patented test will allow any lab, including hospital labs, to test for TPMT using a simple, quick and easy to use ELISA format.”