Beckman Coulter, a global clinical diagnostics company, will introduce new antipsychotic drug tests to laboratories and clinicians to address an unmet clinical need for people with serious mental conditions worldwide. 

In a new agreement with Saladax Biomedical, Beckman Coulter will distribute the tests designed to measure blood levels of antipsychotic drugs prescribed to treat patients with serious mental illness (SMI), such as Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder. These new assays are developed using an innovative nanoparticle technology and empower healthcare professionals with data to monitor psychiatric drugs prescribed in treatment of psychosis: Clozapine, Risperidone/Paliperidone, Olanzapine, Quetiapine, Aripiprazole.

The rapid, high-quality assays run on Beckman Coulter’s scalable AU clinical chemistry analysers and shorten turnaround time for patient test results to hours instead of days – leading to greater success managing and monitoring treatments for inpatients and outpatients.

Serious mental illness is a significant public health concern. Worldwide 45 million people are affected by bipolar disorder and 24 million people are living with schizophrenia. Patients with untreated schizophrenia or bipolar may experience increased intensity of symptoms which could be disabling, potentially resulting in additional medical care or could lead to suicide. These new assays assist healthcare professionals to evaluate patient treatment adherence and individual patient drug response.

Kathleen Orland, senior vice president & general manager, clinical chemistry and immunoassay, Beckman Coulter, said: “Beckman Coulter’s portfolio of therapeutic drug monitoring assays offers laboratories and diagnostic testing facilities ways to improve patient care by ensuring therapeutic ranges are monitored. Our relationship with Saladax expands access for laboratories and clinicians to antipsychotic drug testing for treatment of psychotic disorders, which is a growing healthcare need.”

Sal Salamone, CEO and founder, Saladax, added: “Our partnership with Beckman Coulter is a major step in making these important antipsychotic tests available to healthcare professionals. These tests provide timely quantitative insights so they can make reliable assessments that will improve the care of patients with serious mental illness.”