Companion diagnostics are the experiments carried out to find suitable dosage for the patient’s depending on their clinical diagnosis and to understand as to which medicine would be beneficial for a particular patient. This test is carried out to make sure that the medical condition of the patient is treated rightly and is not facing any side-effects because of the same medicine. These tests are like medical instruments to the doctors as it helps them in choosing appropriate dosage and treatment based on the requirements of the patient’s medical conditions.
Companion diagnostics is certainly used for appropriate treatment of the patients, yet, in some cases, patients don’t get cured and also face the side-effects of a particular medicine used for their medical condition. Lot of changes have taken place in the process of the treatment of diseases due to advanced technology. Apart from the ways of traditional treatment, requirements for improved treatments for patients is growing as it provides the healthcare and their patients an assured positive result. Considering the aforementioned factors, the demand for companion diagnostics is likely to witness steady and significant traction over the years. Future Market Insights, a market researcher, reveals in its ongoing study that several drugmaking companies around the world will continue to extend their product line and tap into the expansion of global companion diagnostics market in the approaching years.
Recent Update: Keytruda as a treatment regimen for Lung Cancer
As stated by the Cancer society of America, in men as well as women, lung cancer happens to be the 2nd most common cancer. Around 85% are NSCLCs (non-small cell lung cancers) and 14% of the new cancers happen to be lung cancers.
Lately, the NSCLC patients were helped by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) of the U.S. in fighting the lung cancer when PD-1 inhibitor named Keytruda® (pembrolizumab) of Merck’s was approved by the agency as a treatment regimen for NSCLC that are metastatic with PD-L1 of high levels. The NSCLC patients that were treated earlier with at least 1% tumor, were also permitted to use the drug. Earlier, this drug was considered as a secondary choice for the lung cancer treatment.
The subsidiary of Agilent, Dako’s companion diagnostic (co-developed with Merck) was approved by the FDA soon after Merck’s approval. By determining the expression status of PD-L1, this companion diagnostic helps in identifying the patients who would be suitable for Keytruda® therapy.
To identify patients benefitting from the treatment, personalized medicines depend on reliable and accurate diagnostics. Amongst the diagnostic and drug developers, the Dako/Merck partnership sets a new example of an effective business term. Since 3years, according to Personalized Medicine Coalition, around 25% of the new drugs which are personalized medicines and are approved by FDA link a treatment and diagnostic. As a result, the trend of personalized medicine implementation has the Dako/Merck partnership setting a new example. Introduction of such drugs are expected to be viewed lucrative for securing steady growth in global market for companion diagnostics in the foreseeable future.
