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Commonwealth, Quest Diagnostics partner to expand access to new IBS blood test
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Commonwealth Laboratories has announced a national agreement with Quest Diagnostics that will expand the availability of IBSchek, its new blood test for irritable bowel syndrome.
IBSchek, launched in May 2015 during DDW, is an ELISA-based blood test that diagnoses IBS based on the presence of certain levels of anti-vinculin and anti-CdtB antibodies, which Mark Pimentel, MD, and colleagues found are effective biomarkers of the syndrome. According to the press release, before this blood test became available, diagnosing IBS could generally only be made after ruling out other conditions, which could require expensive and invasive procedures and an average of 5 years; conversely, results from IBSchek are reported to the physician within 24 hours of Commonwealth’s receipt of the patient’s blood specimen.
Mark Pimentel
“This new relationship with Quest marks another significant step forward in the continued growth plan for Commonwealth and represents one of the many great strides that our company has made since the launch of the IBSchek test earlier this year,” Craig Strasnick, chief operating officer at Commonwealth, said in a press release. “This agreement expands the availability of the test exponentially for the nearly 40 million patients suffering from IBS in the United States by allowing for far greater and more convenient access to IBSchek to aid in the quick and efficient diagnosis of IBS. Additionally, with Quest now a preferred partner of Commonwealth, we are looking forward to driving increased awareness about the clinical utility and overall impact of this new, innovative technology.”
According to the press release, the agreement will enable clinicians to order blood draws on patients for testing through an estimated 2,200 Quest service centers and 4,000 phlebotomists in U.S. doctors’ offices, which will forward specimens to Commonwealth’s CLIA-certified clinical laboratory for testing.
“Our relationship with Commonwealth will enable a far greater number of patients to access the IBSchek test, an important medical innovation for aiding the diagnosis of IBS, a disorder that is prevalent and a challenge to diagnose,” Patrick Plewman, Quest’s general manager for infectious disease and immunology, said in the press release. “IBSchek complements and extends Quest's broad menu of tests for autoimmune and gastrointestinal disorders, such as celiac disease, designed to provide insights in aiding reliable diagnoses. It also allows Quest to generate greater value from our service network, which is the largest in the diagnostic industry.”
Disclosures: Strasnick reports he is an employee of Commonwealth. Plewman reports he is an employee of Quest. Pimentel reports financial ties with Commonwealth.