Medicare to cover PrismRA diagnostic test for certain patients with rheumatoid arthritis
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
Medicare will begin offering coverage for PrismRA, a molecular diagnostic test that predicts treatment response in certain patients with rheumatoid arthritis, according to a press release from its manufacturer.
Palmetto GBA, a Medicare administrative contractor, and CMS published the local coverage determination following the identification of evidence supporting the “clinical utility of PrismRA,” Scipher Medicine said in the release. Data used to make the determination showed that patients who were guided towards therapy using PrismRA were three times more likely to reach remission, according to the release.
“Precision medicine will now be accessible to many patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis, a potentially debilitating disease if not treated with the right therapy,” Scipher Medicine CEO Alif Saleh said in the release. “This coverage decision not only represents a significant benefit for patients today but also ushers in a new era of precision medicine in autoimmune diseases.”
The determination will allow for PrismRA tests to be covered by Medicare for adult patients with RA who demonstrate moderate or high disease activity and have failed their first-line therapy, the release said. Further stipulations state that patients cannot have started a biologic or traditional synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drug, or have started one and are being considered for an alternate class of therapy.
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts