Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.

Pharmaceuticals
April 1, 2015

A Marker to Monitor Treatment Effectiveness For Chronic Myeloid Leukemia(CML) Otsuka's Major BCR-ABL mRNA Measurement Kit Covered by Health Insurance in Japan as of April 1

  • Otsuka developed the Major BCR-ABL mRNA Measurement Kit as an aid to diagnosis and monitoring of treatment effectiveness for chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and health insurance in Japan now covers use of the kit.
  • With approximately 11,000 CML patients in Japan and that number increasing, and since molecular-level assessment of treatment effectiveness has been limited in Japan, a testing kit has been eagerly awaited in order to assess disease relapse and treatment effectiveness using an international standard value scale.
  • The Otsuka Major BCR-ABL mRNA Measurement Kit is capable of measuring minutely residual leukemia cells at the molecular level, which is an international standard. The kit can be used to monitor treatment effectiveness or detect early relapse and thus is expected to contribute to the clinical management of CML.

Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. announced that it received notification in Japan that as of April 1 insurance coverage is be provided for use of the Otsuka Major BCR-ABL mRNA Measurement Kit. The kit is an extracorporeal diagnostic pharmaceutical product meeting international standards for use as an aid to diagnose and monitor treatment effectiveness for chronic myeloid leukemia (CML).