As An Enabler of Personalized Therapeutics, Companion Diagnostics Witnesses Unprecedented Development & Commercialization Efforts
Growing role of personalized medicine and theranostics in disease treatment is poised to drive the global market for Companion Diagnostics to reach US$5.8 billion by 2022 . A Companion Diagnostic (CDx) refers to a diagnostic test used as a companion to a therapeutic drug for increased efficacy of the drug and for pre-determining the efficacy of the treatment. CDx are usually in-vitro devices or assays or imaging tools, which are developed during development of the corresponding drug or after the drug is on the market. By providing crucial information on an individual’s risk factors for hard-to-diagnose conditions, and also predicting safety and efficacy of the drug in relevance to the targeted patient group, companion diagnostics enable healthcare professionals to decide whether a drug’s benefits outweigh its risks. They help doctors in appropriate dosage of medication, determine how well a patient is responding to a prescribed therapy, and also analyze risk of recurrence of a diseas...