ROTTERDAM (the Netherlands) and SAN DIEGO (US), May 12, 2020: Everything Genetic Ltd has partnered with a leading private health insurance company in the UK to design an access strategy for patients with multiple myeloma (blood cancer) to get reimbursement for a novel molecular diagnostic test. Patients that are eligible in the United Kingdom are the first to have reimbursed access to the MMprofiler with SKY92 algorithm. This diagnostic test is able to measure the aggressiveness of the disease by measuring 92 genes in the cancerous plasma cell. This news follows shortly after a publication in Nature Leukemia from the Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) in London (UK) that studied 329 multiple myeloma patients. They found, among other things, that lenalidomide as maintenance therapy does not give patients a significant longer relapse free period or a better overall outlook, if they bear the SKY92 marker. In other words, patients can obtain the same results by being closely observed without taking the medicine and suffer accompanying adverse reactions [1].
“Sharing the same values and have a common objective are very important factors in choosing partners,” comments Dharminder Chahal, CEO SkylineDx that developed the MMprofiler with SKY92 algorithm. “In the vision of this insurance company, their aim is to bring patients the best cancer support and information available. With our diagnostic tests, we aim to create a comprehensive view on a patient’s cancer by including genetic information coming from the cancerous cells. Constructing a complete picture, enables the physician to give patients the best cancer support possible. By the collaborative effort in designing this program, we can truly make a difference for multiple myeloma patients and their families.”
“Having a major private health insurance company agree to cover the cost for this test is a major breakthrough for insured multiple myeloma patients and is a crucial step in making this test more accessible in the UK market,” added James Price, CEO of Everything Genetic Ltd.
About Everything Genetic Ltd (UK distributor for MMprofiler with SKY92)
Everything Genetic Ltd enables diagnostic, prognostic and theranostic-focused companies to rapidly assess and gain access to the UK IVD markets. We cover breast, ovarian, colorectal, urological and hematologic cancers. We offer simple business consultancy-based support or deeper level distributor sales support or a combination of the two. Everything Genetic Ltd offers a solution to many of the issues facing patients and health professionals alike. More information at www.everythinggeneticltd.co.uk.
About SkylineDx
SkylineDx is a high-tech commercial-stage biotech company headquartered in Rotterdam, the Netherlands and a CAP/CLIA certified laboratory in San Diego, California, USA. The company uses its expertise to bridge the gap between academically discovered gene expression signatures and commercially available diagnostic products with high clinical utility. With the focus on diagnostics, SkylineDx assists healthcare professionals in accurately determining the type or status of the disease or to predict a patient’s response to a specific treatment. Based on the test results, healthcare professionals can tailor the treatment to the individual patient. To learn more, please visit www.skylinedx.com.
Footnotes
- Link to press release on our website (click here).
- Shah, V., Sherborne, A.L., Johnson, D.C. et al. Predicting ultrahigh risk multiple myeloma by molecular profiling: an analysis of newly diagnosed transplant eligible myeloma XI trial patients. Leukemia (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41375-020-0750-z
