LabCorp launches expanded IBD testing profile

Laboratory Corporation of America^® Holdings (LabCorp^®) (NYSE: LH) announced today the availability of an expanded testing menu to help clinicians diagnose, treat and monitor the course of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD).

“The IBD Expanded Profile helps to diagnose disease and contributes to optimizing treatment.”

Gastrointestinal (GI) tract disorders are often presented with non-specific symptoms and are difficult to diagnose, especially in primary care settings. Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is one of the most common and serious gastrointestinal disorders. The two clinically distinctive forms of IBD are ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. Treatments can also be complicated, involving immunosuppressant therapies, biological drugs and/or surgery.

In support of improving IBD diagnosis and treatment, LabCorp has launched an expanded IBD testing profile that helps to identify IBD patients and differentiate between ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. The IBD Expanded Profile includes ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease-specific antibody markers that improve diagnostic sensitivity and provide valuable prognostic information regarding the severity of disease. For patients diagnosed with IBD, LabCorp's TPMT Enzyme Activity assay can be utilized prior to thiopurine drug treatment to assess dosing levels and potential adverse drug reaction. Once a patient has started thiopurine treatment, physicians can use the thiopurine Metabolites test to help optimize ongoing dosing to reach and maintain therapeutic goals and avoid possible drug toxicity. LabCorp also offers testing for patients treated with new biological drugs like infliximab that allow physicians to monitor drug concentration levels and assess the impact of anti-infliximab antibody levels on drug efficacy.

"GI disorders are difficult to diagnose," said Dr. Mark Brecher, LabCorp's Chief Medical Officer. "The IBD Expanded Profile helps to diagnose disease and contributes to optimizing treatment."

These enhancements to LabCorp's IBD test menu are adjuncts to its broader offering of digestive disease testing that includes cost-efficient cascade testing to help physicians diagnose Irritable Bowel Syndrome and non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity.