By Ron Shinkman, Editor, Laboratory Industry Report
Commonwealth Laboratories has entered into a distribution agreement with Quest Diagnostics regarding its test for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
Under the terms of the deal, physicians will be able to order the test, IBSchek, and have blood draws performed for the assay at Quest’s 2,200 draw centers nationwide. The samples will be sent to Commonwealth’s laboratory in Salem, Mass. for testing.
Although it is not life threatening, IBS affects as many as 40 million Americans, and it often takes multiple visits with a physician and invasive exams to diagnose the disorder. Doctors also have to rule out more serious conditions, such as Crohn’s Disease, before they can make a definitive diagnosis.
The IBSchek test uses ELISA to identify the presence of two antibodies in the blood that tend to correlate to the presence of IBS.
"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," said Craig Strasnick, Commonwealth’s chief operating officer. "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.”
Financial terms of the agreement with Quest were not disclosed.