NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) – Crescendo Bioscience today announced Medicare is covering its Vectra DA test for rheumatoid arthritis.
Medicare contractor Palmetto GBA has established national coverage for the South San Francisco, Calif. firm's test for assessing RA activity, in conjunction with standard clinical assessment, in adults who previously were diagnosed with the disease.
Vectra measures 12 immune, endothelial, bone, cartilage, and metabolic biomarkers in serum to provide a picture of the underlying biology of RA. Using a proprietary algorithm, Vectra then creates a score between one and 100, corresponding to low, moderate, or high activity. The test, Crescendo Bio said, is a tool for clinicians to better manage the disease and optimize therapeutic outcomes.
"RA is a complex disease with numerous clinical dilemmas," Crescendo Bio President and CEO William Hagstrom said in a statement. "We believe that appropriate use of Vectra DA as an enabling technology can help physicians more efficiently and effectively match the clinical status of their patients with RA to the most appropriate management strategies for the disease."
Earlier in the year, New York cleared Crescendo Bio to offer its services in the state, allowing the company to offer Vectra throughout the US. Crescendo began 2013 by raising $28 million in a Series D financing round.