Inverness Medical offers the Osteomark NTx range of ELISA products for monitoring patient response to anti-resorptive therapies.
Osteoporosis affects 1 in 3 women and 1 in 5 men over 50, approximately 75 million people worldwide.
Treatment of osteoporosis often involves the use of drugs to inhibit bone resorption, the primary cause of age-related bone loss.
Cross-linked N-telopeptide of type 1 collagen (NTx) is a specific indicator of bone resorption, generated by osteoclasts as a degradation product of type 1 collagen.
NTx can be easily measured in urine and serum using the Osteomark NTx range of products.
The Osteomark assays are sensitive and specific, and can be used to indicate subtle changes in levels of bone resorption.
Currently, bone mineral density (BMD) is the gold standard for evaluating bone mass over 12 to 24 months.
However, densitometry measurements are not sensitive enough to accurately measure changes in bone mass of less than 3 per cent.
When used in conjunction with Osteomark NTx, BMD is able to give a more complete picture of bone status due to the assay's ability to indicate the current level of bone resorption.
NTx monitoring of patients, using Osteomark NTx assays, can identify those who have a poor response to drug therapy, the primary cause of which is poor therapy adherence.
Research has shown that patients who adhere to anti-resorptive drug therapy have a decreased risk of fractures.
