Companies Wishing to Enter the Field of Rheumatoid Arthritis Diagnostics should Aim to Develop a Tool with Both Strong Diagnostic Performance and High Prognostic Value.DUBLIN, Ireland -- Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c31661) has announced the addition of Improved Diagnostic and Prognostic Tools for Rheumatoid Arthritis rheumatoid arthritis Chronic, progressive autoimmune disease causing connective-tissue inflammation, mostly in synovial joints. It can occur at any age, is more common in women, and has an unpredictable course. : Unmet Needs in a Changing Market to their offering According to recent clinical studies, the key to achieving optimal outcomes in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is to diagnose and treat it as early as possible. The need to develop more-sensitive and more-specific markers for early-stage disease is urgent. While developments in disease-modifying drugs and biologic agents have revolutionized the treatment of RA, enabling physicians to slow disease progression and prevent some joint destruction, diagnostics has lagged behind. Therefore, the challenge in this area of medicine lies almost exclusively in the diagnosis of early-stage RA, which can be accomplished only with novel serological tests Serological tests Tests of immune function that are performed using the clear yellow liquid part of blood. Mentioned in: Scrub Typhus , imaging techniques, or RA biomarkers. This report profiles the efforts under way by a variety of companies in this area of great unmet need. Business Implications The key to avoiding irreversible joint damage and achieving optimal outcomes in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is early treatment, which necessitates early diagnosis. Although the treatment of RA has been revolutionized in recent years by the introduction of tumor necrosis factor-alpha Tumor necrosis factor (TNF, cachexin or cachectin and formally known as tumor necrosis factor-alpha) is a cytokine involved in systemic inflammation and is a member of a group of cytokines that all stimulate the acute phase reaction. (TNF-a) inhibitors and more-aggressive treatment with disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs disease-modifying antirheumatic drug DMARD Rheumatology Any agent–eg, azathioprine, gold, cyclophosphamide, hydroxychloroquin, and MTX–which slows the rate of joint destruction in rheumatoid arthritis (DMARDs), the current array of diagnostic options falls short in all areas: for detecting early cases, reaching differential diagnosis differential diagnosis n. Determination of which one of two or more diseases with similar symptoms is the one from which the patient is suffering. Also called differentiation. , and predicting disease severity. Rheumatoid factor rheumatoid factor n. Abbr. RF Any of the immunoglobulins found in the serum of individuals with rheumatoid arthritis that enhance the agglutination of suspended particles that are coated with pooled human gamma globulin and that are used (RF) traditionally has been the standard serological serological pertaining to or emanating from serology. serological test one involving examination of blood serum usually for antibody. test, but its poor specificity and sensitivity limit its usefulness. In fact, if a highly specific test were developed, it could replace RF altogether. Researchers are seeking to develop serological tests that are specific for RA in response to the well-recognized unmet need for improving the diagnostic paradigm. Emerging tests include anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (anti-CCP), anti-RA33 antibodies, antifilaggrin antibodies (AFAs), anticalpastatin antibodies, and hyaluronic acid hyaluronic acid: see mucopolysaccharide. Hyaluronic acid A polysaccharide which is an integral part of the gel-like substance of animal connective tissue; it supposedly serves as a lubricant and shock absorbent in the joints. (HA). Companies and institutions that wish to enter the field of RA diagnostics should aim to develop a tool with both strong diagnostic performance (including high specificity, high sensitivity, and a marker that is present in early disease) and high prognostic value. A tool with these capabilities would become indispensable throughout the duration of the disease: from providing a diagnosis at initial presentation to monitoring patient response to treatment in established RA. Companies mentioned: - SurroMed - Merck - Millennium - Roche Diagnostics - deCode Genetics For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c31661 Source: Decision Resources |
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