New Biomarker to Reduce the Need for Colonoscopies

Alpha Laboratories Ltd announces a new biomarker called Calprotectin to help make unnecessary endoscopies a thing of the past and help diagnose patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS).

Elevated Calprotectin, a biomarker present in stool samples, indicates to a doctor that the patient has a potentially serious, inflammatory bowel condition that requires further investigation and treatment. However, when patients suffering from diarrhoea, stomach cramps etc visit the doctor and have normal Calprotectin levels, no inflammation is present and a diagnosis of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) can be made. IBS does not require endoscopy and is usually treated by a change in lifestyle or diet. Approximately 50% of patients have IBS rather than inflammatory conditions, which gives an indication of the scale of unnecessary endoscopies currently performed in UK hospitals.

Dr Christopher Easton, Sales and Marketing Director at Alpha Laboratories, commented, “The Calprotectin test has been used in very few hospitals in the UK until now, but clearly the test has great value in diagnosing bowel disease throughout the NHS. This simple test can reduce the cost of providing an efficient gastroenterology service and also can improve the patient’s wellbeing by indicating whether they need to have an invasive and potentially risky procedure such as endoscopy. Wider adoption of the Calprotectin test fits in well with the new QIPP initiative within the NHS which aims to reduce cost to the NHS whilst improving the quality of service ”.

“Alpha Labs has the most comprehensive and flexible portfolio of Calprotectin tests, allowing a hospital to choose the format that suits their service provision. At a cost of approximately £20, the Calprotectin test is much cheaper than an endoscopy which usually costs several hundred pounds. The test is also a lot less traumatic for the patient”.