The company’s anti-CCP (cyclic citrullinated peptid) tests – one of the cornerstones of the Axis-Shield technology – will now run on Bio-Rad’s BioPlex 2200 analyser, initially outside of the US market but with approval pending from the US Food and Drug Administration.
Shares in Axis-Shield, which has dual headquarters in Dundee and Oslo and makes diagnostic systems for doctors’ offices and other points of care, yesterday climbed 2.6%, or 10p, to 398.5p on the news.
The anti-CCP test already runs on US giant Abbott Laboratories’ AxSYM.
Ian Gilham, Axis-Shield chief executive, said: “Bio-Rad is the first in a number of deals we’re planning beyond the original Abbott deal.
“The idea is to have the test available on multiple platforms in every lab around the world.”
Asked about the size of the global market in early-detection tests for rheumatoid arthritis, he said: “We’re talking about five million tests each year, which equates to about $25m-$30m, but as treatments come on the market that’s growing at around 25% a year.”
Gillham went on: “Because the anti-CCP test was developed in Dundee, the royalties will be directed back to Dundee.”
Rheumatoid arthritis, which occurs in about one in 100 people, is a chronic autoimmune disease characterised by inflammation of the lining of the joints, causing pain and disability.
The disease often begins in middle age and is particularly prevalent in older people, although it can also develop in children and young adults.
Axis-Shield’s cutting edge comes from the ability of its proprietary anti-CCP test to detect the disease before it becomes debilitating.
The anti-CCP test is also regarded as more accurate than rival early-diagnostic tests for rheumatoid arthritis conditions.
Gilham, added: “This is an important milestone in our agreement with Bio-Rad.
“The measurement of these antibodies has recently been cited as a key parameter in the definitive diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis by the influential American College of Rheumatology.
“We believe that availability on the BioPlex system will help expand the market for this important early marker for this debilitating condition.”
Axis-Shield, which employs 125 of its total 500-strong workforce in Scotland, also produces the Nycocard and Afinion systems, desktop printer-sized devices which can sit in a GP’s surgery and run tests for diabetes.
The company will soon make a test for heart disease that runs on the Afinion system, but Gilham said there were “no immediate plans” to run the anti-CCP test on its own hardware.
