Test Diagnoses Early-Stage Rheumatoid Arthritis

The system requires calibration only once monthly, and delivers consistent, reproducible results. The specificity of testing for CCP in RA patients is greater than 96% and a positive CCP measurement provides the best prognosis of eventual disease severity.

The ELiA CCP assay was developed by Phadia AB (Uppsala, Sweden) and has been recently cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Michael Land, the company's U.S. president and general manager said: "The availability of this assay will offer healthcare providers a more accurate tool to diagnose this debilitating condition at an early stage in the disease compared with older testing methods. Diagnosing rheumatoid arthritis early is critical to effectively treat the condition before it progresses and causes permanent joint damage.”

RA is an autoimmune disease that is characterized by chronic inflammation in the joints.

Patients with RA have periodic flare-ups that can lead to irreversible joint destruction, if misdiagnosed or left untreated. The assay helps physicians identify RA very early in the course of the disease and enables them to initiate, if necessary, an aggressive course of treatment at a stage when medication is most likely to reduce disease progression and prevent joint damage.



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