– Diaceutics research, published in five studies at this year’s ASCO conference, exposes inefficiencies in precision medicine testing for multiple cancers
– Key insights include:
- Economic burden of not testing for FLT3 to treat AML could cost up to $445 million in the United States alone;
- Global inconsistencies in NTRK fusion testing between US, Asia and EU could hamper patients’ access to therapies;
- Lack of standardized HRD testing leads to poorer outcomes for many ovarian cancer patients who may have been eligible for PARP inhibitor treatments; and
- Improved reimbursement and repeated testing post-treatment needed for therapies targeting KRAS-G12C
PARSIPPANY, N.J.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–#ASCO20–Diaceutics today reveals new data insights into key areas of cancer testing. In collaboration with the company’s network of industry advisors, the research has just been published in four abstracts and one poster at this year’s virtual American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) conference. It exposes inefficiencies in precision medicine testing that are preventing patients from getting the treatment that they need, when they need it.
Diaceutics’ ASCO research provides a snapshot of the breadth of testing issues that can be addressed through collaboration on the DXRX network. The value of this can be seen in its FLT3 research, for example: using a standard health economic model1, Diaceutics calculated that failure to test for FLT3 could lead to an economic burden in the US of $148 million to $445 million where Midostaurin could have been prescribed, and $139 million to $417 million where Giltertinib would have been the appropriate treatment.
Research Highlights
- FLT32: Diaceutics examined the economic cost of not testing for FLT3 to treat acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a cancer with poor five-year survival rates and high treatment costs. The FDA approved two FLT3 precision medicines for AML in the last four years. Diaceutics found that these therapies can provide hope for AML patients and every year, 2,164 FLT3 patients in the US could benefit from precision medicine interventions, generating up to 2,965 quality-adjusted life years.
- NTRK3: On a global scale, using the world’s largest repository of diagnostic testing data, Diaceutics’ research shows the dramatic variation in levels of test availability for NTRK between the EU, US and Asia. NTRK is one of the first hyper-targeted pan-tumor biomarkers which is dependent on the testing ecosystem. Diaceutics found that 73% of the top 30 labs in the US are carrying out NTRK fusion testing, compared to just 22% of Japan’s top nine; 54% of China’s top 13; 60% of Italy’s top 20 and 65% of France’s top 20.
- HRD4: Diaceutics’ research team examined HRD, an emerging predictive biomarker across multiple cancers, and a companion biomarker for two new drug approvals this month. Diaceutics found that a lack of standardized HRD panels and low testing rates are leading to poorer outcomes for ovarian cancer patients who may have been eligible for PARP inhibitor treatment. Research was based on a data set of 8,400 metastatic ovarian cancer patients.
- KRAS G12C5: Insights from the DXRX diagnostic network also provides market readiness analysis for prospective therapies targeting KRAS-G12C – an aggressive, poor survival tumor genotype – in lung, colorectal and pancreatic cancers. Analysis of Diaceutics’ data found that following treatment with first-line therapies, primary tumor profile results can be less reliable. The team concluded that there is a need for improved reimbursement and repeated testing post-treatment for the continued efficacy in therapeutics – especially for patients with pancreatic cancer.
- TP536: Diaceutics studied a cohort of 984 patients diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML). The study found that where there was a TP53 mutation detected, patients had negative associations with 7 specific genes (ASXL1, CEBPA, FLT3, IDH1, NRAS, RUN1, TET2), meaning that a TP53 antagonist and targeted therapy may be a valuable treatment option in rare cases where co-mutation exists.
Chief Technical Officer, Jordan Clark, said: “Our data consistently reveals that testing inefficiencies due to a lack of collaboration among precision medicine stakeholders remains today’s most significant obstacle to getting every patient the treatment they deserve.
“To address this need for collaboration, we have spent the last 10 years building relationships with more than 2,500 laboratories and industry leading service providers in areas such as pathology training, health economics, reference standards, EQA and digital enablement.
“DXRX by Diaceutics will unlock the power of our data for all members of this network, delivering significantly more value for all stakeholders in precision medicine and, most of all, for patients.
”Several of the abstract authors are industry advisors in the DXRX network, and these studies demonstrate the power of being able to facilitate the collaboration required to advance our mission of getting every patient the treatment they deserve.”
Diaceutics will launch DXRX, the world’s first diagnostic network in precision medicine, in Q4 2020 to help solve these issues through global stakeholder collaboration.
Through DXRX, Diaceutics will make these alliances and its real-world data repository available to its network of pharmaceutical, laboratory and diagnostic partners. Laboratory and diagnostic partners will join the DXRX network in Q3 2020, and pharmaceutical partners will gain access in Q4.
DXRX is industry shorthand for diagnostics (DX) and therapy (RX). For more information visit https://dxrx.diaceutics.com/
Diaceutics’ published research is available at https://dxrx.diaceutics.com/data-insights.html
– Ends –
Notes to editor:
1Calculation was made using a standard health economist model which describes the economic burden of a disease in quality-adjusted life years (QALYs). In the US, a QALY is valued at $50K to $150K. Diaceutics therefore calculated the economic cost of failing to treat AML patients with the appropriate precision treatment due to lack of FLT3 testing.
Publication authors:
2Raymond Henderson, Dave Smart, Declan French, Jordan Clark, Kenneth Joel Bloom, Derek Hosty, Mark Lawler; Diaceutics, Belfast, United Kingdom; Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast, United Kingdom; Clarient Diagnostic Services, Inc., Aliso Viejo, CA; Diaceutics Plc, Belfast, United Kingdom
3Markus Eckstein, Kenneth Joel Bloom, Susanne Munksted Fosvig, Marieke Hoefsmit, Jordan Clark; Institute of Pathology, Universitatsklinikum Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universitat Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany; Clarient Diagnostic Services, Inc., Aliso Viejo, CA; Diaceutics, Belfast, United Kingdom
4Markus Eckstein, Kenneth Joel Bloom, Peter Riccelli, Frank Policht, Derry Mae Keeling, Jordan Clark; Institute of Pathology, Universitatsklinikum Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universitat Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany; Clarient Diagnostic Services, Inc., Aliso Viejo, CA; Diaceutics Inc, Parsippany, NJ; Diaceutics Plc, Belfast, United Kingdom; Diaceutics, Belfast, United Kingdom
5Fotios Loupakis, Kenneth Joel Bloom, Wendy Allen, Enya Scanlon, Isabel Stacey, Derry Mae Keeling, Nital Patel, Jordan Clark; Istituto Toscano Tumori, Pisa, Italy; Clarient Diagnostic Services, Inc., Aliso Viejo, CA; Queens University Belfast, Belfast, United Kingdom; Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast, United Kingdom; Diaceutics, Belfast, United Kingdom; Diaceutics Plc, Belfast, United Kingdom; Diaceutics, Parsippany, NJ
6Kenneth Joel Bloom, Adam Idica, Dave Smart, Wendy Allen, Enya Scanlon, Jordan Clark; Clarient Diagnostic Services, Inc., Aliso Viejo, CA; DIACEUTICS, Carlsbad, CA; Diaceutics, Belfast, United Kingdom; Queens University Belfast, Belfast, United Kingdom; Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast, United Kingdom
About Diaceutics
Diaceutics PLC is a diagnostic commercialisation company for the Precision Medicine industry. The Company, quoted on the AIM Market of the London Stock Exchange, is enabling pharma to accelerate their market penetration and achieve a better return on precision medicine therapies by helping them to revolutionize patient testing. Diaceutics will launch DXRX, the world’s first diagnostic network in precision medicine, in Q4 2020. By generating insights from its clinical laboratory testing and other data, Diaceutics helps pharma understand and leverage the diagnostic landscape through initiatives that improve patient testing, leading to better treatment outcomes. The Company works with more than 35 global pharmaceutical companies across hundreds of precision medicine projects. The Company employs a leading global group of experts from the laboratory, diagnostic and pharmaceutical industries. www.diaceutics.com
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