The U.S. FDA has announced that it is allowing marketing of the COBAS INTEGRA 800 Tina-quant HbA1cDx assay (Tina-quant HbA1cDx assay), manufactured by Roche, for the diagnosis of diabetes by health care professionals. This is the first HbA1c test that FDA has allowed to be marketed for this use.
Until now HbA1c tests, or A1c tests,were FDA-cleared for monitoring a patient’s blood glucose control, but not for diagnosing diabetes. A1c tests measure the percentage of hemoglobin A1c that is bound to glucose, giving a patient’s average glucose level over a three-month period.
The diagnostic criteria for diabetes have changed over time. Based on the research and recommendations of international diabetes experts, many health care providers have already been using some A1c tests to diagnose diabetes, in addition to the established diagnostic procedures of a fasting blood glucose test and an oral glucose tolerance test to diagnose diabetes. However, before today, A1c tests were not specifically designed or granted permission by FDA to be marketed for diabetes diagnosis, making it difficult to know which A1c tests were accurate enough for this purpose. The Tina-quant HbA1cDx assay, a laboratory-based test, can be used to both accurately diagnose diabetes and monitor blood glucose control.
In support of marketing clearance, investigators analyzed 141 blood samples and found less than six percent difference in the accuracy of test results from the Tina-quant HbA1cDx assay compared to results from the standard reference for hemoglobin analysis.
The Tina-quant HbA1cDX assay is available by prescription for use in clinical laboratories. Over-the-counter HbA1c tests should not be used by patients to diagnose diabetes, and only a qualified health care professional should make a diagnosis of diabetes. Individuals who receive a diabetes diagnosis should discuss with their physician what they need to do to manage their diabetes.
Hemoglobin A1c tests, including the Tina-quant HbA1cDx assay, should not be used to diagnose diabetes during pregnancy and should not be used to monitor diabetes in patients with hemoglobinopathy, hereditary spherocytosis, malignancies, or severe chronic, hepatic and renal disease. This test should not be used to diagnose or monitor diabetes in patients with the hemoglobin variant hemoglobin F.
