New Assay Strengthens LabCorp’s Precision Medicine Portfolio

Burlington-based LabCorp is offering a new assay to help doctors monitor drug responses in patients taking Certolizumab, a biologic therapy for certain inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn’s disease.

The Certolizumab Concentration and Anti-Certolizumab Antibody DoseASSURE CTZ assay is the latest addition to the company’s DoseASSURE portfolio of assays for therapeutic drug monitoring.

The portfolio now includes eight assays measuring 10 biologic therapies: Adalimumab, Infliximab, Infliximab-dyyb, Infliximab-abda, Etanercept, Rituximab, Golimumab, Vedolizumab, Ustekinumab and Certolizumab.

“Biologic drugs can be life-changing, but individual patient response to biologics can vary greatly,” David P. King, LabCorp’s chairman and CEO, said in a news release. “LabCorp’s DoseASSURE portfolio helps to deliver on the promise of precision medicine by enabling more effective and more individualized treatment plans that can improve clinical outcomes at reduced costs.” 
Biologic drugs are complex, protein-based therapies that can be used to treat certain inflammatory diseases and are among the fastest-growing class of drugs available today. However, the expense of these medications and the variability in patient response to them can present challenges.

LabCorp’s DoseASSURE portfolio addresses these challenges by providing quantitative, patient-specific measurement that can guide patient therapy. With the launch of the DoseASSURE CTZ, the company said it now has the most comprehensive menu of biologic therapeutic drug monitoring in the industry, targeting the largest number of biologic drugs.
Studies demonstrate the use of therapeutic drug monitoring can improve efficacy and prolong successful response to biologic treatment. Appropriate use of monitoring can diminish the need for disease-related surgery and hospitalization by reducing the risk of treatment failure.

The LabCorp portfolio adds to North Carolina’s growing leadership in precision health, a sector targeted by the North Carolina Biotechnology Center for bringing new opportunities to the state’s life science ecosystem.

NCBiotech has led in the formation of a partnership involving universities, businesses and scientific institutions known as the North Carolina Precision Health Collaborative. The members focus on tailoring medical care to individuals’ unique characteristics, including susceptibility to disease and response to treatments.

“Our expanding DoseASSURE portfolio demonstrates our commitment to providing world-class diagnostic and patient-management solutions for physicians and patients,” said Marcia Eisenberg, Ph.D., chief scientific officer of LabCorp Diagnostics. “LabCorp adds value because our diagnostics expertise and available clinical decision support tools help clinicians integrate biologic drugs and the associated diagnostics into optimal patient care.”

LabCorp, an S&P 500 company, is a global life science company that provides clinical laboratory and development services. Its mission is to improve health and improve lives by delivering world-class diagnostic solutions, bringing innovative medicines to patients faster and using technology to improve the delivery of care.

The company has 115 million “patient encounters” per year and typically processes tests on more than 2.5 million patient specimens per week. It also supports clinical trials in about 100 countries through its central laboratory business.
LabCorp reported revenues of more than $11 billion in 2018.

The company employs about 3,600 people in Alamance County, where it is the largest private employer, and about 7,300 across North Carolina. Its global workforce includes nearly 60,000 employees.