Exagen Sees Growing Adoption of Avise Diagnostic for Connective Tissue Disease with New Milestone

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., April 28, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Exagen Diagnostics, Inc., a commercial-stage diagnostics company committed to addressing the significant unmet need for the accurate diagnosis and monitoring of patients affected by autoimmune rheumatic diseases, announced today that its Avise SLE+ Connective Tissue 2.0 diagnostic has achieved the milestone of 50,000 orders since launch, and that adoption continues to grow. The Avise diagnostic test assists physicians in identifying Connective Tissue Disease (CTD), including, but not limited to, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Sjogren's, Systemic Sclerosis and Rheumatoid Arthritis. CTD affects over 11 million patients in the U.S. alone. The Avise test supports significantly accelerated time to diagnosis, allowing for a more appropriate course of treatment for patients. 

"We are very pleased with the success of our Avise diagnostic brand. This valuable tool supports physicians in differentiating CTD patients that often present with chameleon-like symptoms," stated Ron Rocca, President and CEO of Exagen Diagnostics. "Notably, as Rheumatologists are using the test, we are receiving more and more favorable feedback on its accuracy and specificity, and its ability to fill an unmet need in the market."

Avise SLE+ Connective Tissue 2.0 is a comprehensive autoimmune CTD diagnostic tool that provides the most specific and sensitive serologic data available, supporting significantly accelerated time to diagnosis. The 22-marker panel leverages proprietary CB-CAPs technology to provide highly accurate, standardized quality results for a more effective diagnosis of all common autoimmune CTD.

In a large multi-center study, the Avise SLE diagnostic demonstrated superior performance with a 33 percent improvement in specificity over Anti-Nuclear Antibodies, a 48 percent improvement in sensitivity over anti-double stranded DNA and a 22 percent increase in sensitivity over soluble C3 & C4. With the advantage of better test performance, Exagen's Avise diagnostic can assist Rheumatologists and their patients to achieve a faster and more accurate diagnosis. 

"CTD is a very difficult disease that often takes years to diagnose," added Rocca. "With Avise, we can cut that time significantly and help patients get to the right treatment as quickly as possible."

About Exagen
Exagen Diagnostics is a rheumatology specialty company that focuses on the diagnosis, prognosis and monitoring of autoimmune connective tissue disease. Its game-changing solutions address the full continuum of autoimmune CTD and provide accurate, comprehensive information that significantly accelerates time to diagnosis.

Media Contact:
Blythe Lawton
Senior Director, Marketing & Communication
Exagen Diagnostics, Inc.
Phone: 760-560-1506
Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Exagen Diagnostics, Inc.