Dade Behring and Euro-Diagnostica to Develop Arthritis Test

Dade Behring (Deerfield, IL, USA) has signed a license and cooperation agreement with Euro-Diagnostica (Arnhem, The Netherlands) whereby Dade acquires the rights to use the cyclic citrullinated peptides (CCP) of Euro-Diagnostica in a new test for rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Euro-Diagnostica will contribute know-how and key raw materials toward the development of the test, which will be designed for use on Dade Behring's clinical laboratory instrumentation.

Studies have shown that anti-CCP tests are more specific than rheumatoid factor tests for diagnosing RA, the most common type of autoimmune arthritis. RA is difficult to diagnose because patients' symptoms can vary and physicians frequently rely on multiple tests before making a diagnosis. Early treatment of RA is important because physicians may be able to prevent patients from developing permanent damage to joints affected with arthritis.

"Dade Behring is committed to improving the quality of health care for patients throughout the world,” said Jim Reid-Anderson, chairman, president and CEO, Dade Behring. "Through this agreement, we have the potential to provide clinical laboratory customers access to a diagnostic test which will allow them to better serve their physicians that are treating the millions of patients affected with rheumatoid arthritis.”

Dade Behring is solely dedicated to clinical diagnostics. It offers a wide range of products, systems, and services designed to meet the day-to-day needs of laboratories, delivering solutions to customers, and enhancing the quality of life for patients.

Euro-Diagnostica is a diagnostics company that specializes in the development, manufacturing, and marketing of tests for the diagnosis of autoimmune disease. The company has been a pioneer in the use of anti-CCP as the new test of choice for RA diagnosis.



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Dade Behring
Euro-Diagnostica