myLymeTest™, supplier of home sample collection kits for direct-to-consumer Lyme disease testing, has expanded distribution into Canada as part of the company’s continuing efforts to bring simple, convenient and affordable Lyme testing solutions to the public.
myLymeTest products combine the convenience of home blood collection with high quality laboratory testing for Lyme disease. Coppe Laboratories, a CLIA-certified diagnostic reference laboratory that has provided specialty testing for tick-borne illnesses to physicians for a number of years, launched the first myLymeTest product in October 2016. The idea for the product arose after fielding many calls from disappointed patients that had contacted their physician’s office to request testing through Coppe, only to be told the testing did not fit into their managed care plan.
myLymeTest customers can access everything they need to collect a small, finger-stick blood sample from home. Simply go to www.myLymeTest.com to order a collection kit. Once collected, the sample is then mailed back to the laboratory for testing and test results are sent directly to the customer. If the results are positive, see your physician, especially if you have symptoms. Lyme disease is treatable with antibiotics. Your doctor will use your myLymeTest results along with the report of your symptoms to confirm a diagnosis. If the test result is negative, you have the peace of mind that you will not be faced with the chronic symptoms often associated with undiagnosed, untreated Lyme disease.
Medical experts agree that Lyme disease is becoming more common across Canada. According to Canada’s Lyme surveillance efforts, the number of reported Lyme cases increased more than six-fold from 2009 to 2016. Due primarily to climate change, it’s expected that 80% of the Canadian population, particularly in eastern and central Canada, will be living in the habitat of Lyme-infected ticks.
While public awareness of the disease is increasing in Canada, many patients still struggle to get diagnosed and treated — enough so that many of them have been driven to seek help outside the conventional healthcare system.
“myLymeTest’s mission has always been to make Lyme disease testing more convenient and available,” said Dr. Konstance Knox, CEO of Coppe Laboratories. “Our focus as a company is to develop innovative diagnostic solutions in areas with unmet needs. Many tools are available to diagnose Lyme disease in the early stages, when treatment is most effective. Unfortunately, many patients still go undiagnosed, resulting in severe, chronic complications.”
The medical field desperately needs solutions that evolve with ever-changing patient needs. Direct-to-consumer diagnostic testing is becoming an increasingly popular option for patients wishing to monitor their health status and make informed decisions about their own health and wellness. While any of Coppe Laboratories’ tick-borne illness diagnostic tests may be ordered direct-to-consumer, myLymeTest is the first to be available using the dried blood spot sample type that can be collected from home. All other test lines still require patients to visit a blood draw station. “Coppe would love to convert all of our tick-borne illness testing to home collection methods,” stated Product Development Manager, Angela Thomm. “As Lyme is the most prevalent and well-understood tick-transmitted disease, it made sense to start there. As interest in myLymeTest grows, Coppe is counting on the consumer to let us know which tests to focus on next.”
