SDMA Test Becomes Available Nationwide

A new biomarker test may pave the way for earlier detection and treatment of acute and chronic kidney disease in cats and dogs—with the potential to expand to human testing.

Beginning January 16, the Idexx Catalyst SDMA Test will be commercially available to all of Idexx’s North American customers. The test can be added to any panel on Idexx's Catalyst One and Catalyst Dx chemistry analyzers and will allow veterinarians to assess kidney function in-house.

The traditional method requires veterinarians to measure the blood creatinine level as a test of kidney function. Symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA), however, is a renal biomarker that can detect chronic kidney disease 10 to 17 months earlier than creatinine, with 100% sensitivity and 91% specificity. Additionally, SDMA is less impacted by extrarenal factors, including body condition, advanced age, and disease state, that might otherwise alter or impair test results.

“The Idexx SDMA Test represents one of the most significant diagnostic innovations in veterinary medicine in the last 30 years. We’re thrilled to bring this essential element of the chemistry panel to our point of care VetLab suite, allowing veterinarians to utilize the benefits of SDMA immediately during the pet’s appointment,” said Jonathan Ayers, chairman and CEO of Idexx Laboratories.

Idexx first launched the Idexx SDMA Test at its reference laboratories in 2015. Since then, the company has run more than 12 million SDMA patient tests, creating the world’s largest database on kidney disease in dogs and cats. To date, more than 2731 preorders for the 12-test box of the Catalyst SDMA Test have already been shipped to Idexx customers, and another 1762 preorders were expected to ship the week of January 8.

Next steps for the company include expanding distribution of the SDMA test beyond the United States and Canada and exploring use of the SDMA test for human patients. With regard to human testing, Idexx has signed a collaboration agreement with Yale University. As part of this partnership, the Idexx SDMA Test was validated for accuracy in measuring SDMA in human blood samples.

“With the Idexx test technology now validated to be able to run on commercial chemistry systems that routinely produce chemistry results in human reference laboratories, we have greater reason to explore the clinical value of this incredible biomarker in human applications,” Ayers said.