Dr. Lazarus Discusses Companion Diagnostics

Tadd Lazarus, MD, Chief Medical Officer, QIAGEN, provides an overview of companion diagnostics.

Diagnostics provide the foundation of care, Lazarus says, and companion diagnostics are no exception. Ten years ago, 5-10% of drugs in the pipeline had a corresponding biomarker – today, up to 45% of drugs do.

Companion diagnostics allow clinicians to select the group of patients that will most likely respond to that drug. New drugs, Lazarus says, often have a better safety profile compared with older drugs but must be used selectively due to cost and other factors.