Launch of Advanced Anti-CCP Assay

Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics has announced the addition of a new anti-CCP assay to its extensive automated immunoassay menu on the IMMULITE® 2000 and IMMULITE® 2000 XPi immunoassay systems. The assay is an easy to use, fully-automated test which offers laboratories a highly specific immunoassay for the measurement of anti-CCP.

Anti-CCP is used as an aid in the diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) through the semi-quantitative measurement of human IgG to cyclic citrullinated peptide (CCP) in serum and plasma. Timely RA diagnosis is critical in order to treat patients as early as possible, thereby delaying and / or preventing joint erosion. Anti-CCP antibodies precede clinical symptoms of RA by years and have proven to be a very specific, predictive marker for early detection of the disease.

The new IMMULITE 2000 / 2000 XPi anti-CCP assay offers excellent specificity making it an ideal marker for both RA diagnosis and differentiation from other diseases. It also has excellent reagent stability and so is perfect for low volume testing with minimal reagent waste. Furthermore, with the ability to conduct the test in-house, laboratories are able to consolidate resources and become increasingly time and cost effective.

“Siemens remains committed to the IMMULITE franchise and will continue to develop and invest in this business with a focus on bringing more new assays and allergens to market in the near future,” said Abigail Wynne-Jones, Immunoassay Product Manager at Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics. “The new assay helps laboratory staff integrate anti-CCP testing into routine workflow, reducing the need for send-away testing. This enables laboratories to reduce operational costs and time as well as becoming more productive and efficient.”