BOULDER, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Biodesix, Inc. today announced the publication in the journal Lung Cancer of a pivotal paper demonstrating the economic implications to the US healthcare system of using VeriStrat® in guiding treatment of patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The paper’s authors conclude that using VeriStrat improves overall survival and decreases medical costs in the US payer system.
“Precision medicine helps physicians base treatment decisions on the tumor’s molecular characteristics and the patient’s immune response to the tumor, guiding patients away from ineffective therapies and helping control medical costs.”
Dr. John Hornberger (MD, MS, FACP), a clinical investigator who is among the study’s authors, said, “Systems of care are gearing up for bundled payment models in oncology. With the evolving changes in payment incentives, this state-of-the-art test analysis was designed to address the questions that administrators have to be aligned with new incentives.”
The study, an extended analysis of the Phase III, prospective, VeriStrat stratified PROSE trial, assessed the outcome and economic implications of the use of a clinically validated serum proteomic test to guide treatment decisions in NSCLC. By shifting patients away from ineffective therapy, the use of VeriStrat resulted in improvement in overall survival as well as a total lifetime direct medical cost decrease of $135 per patient.
Conducted from a US payer perspective, the study evaluated clinical outcomes over the lifetime of a patient with advanced NSCLC, utilizing data from randomized trials and clinical studies. Based on the test results from the VeriStrat proteomic test, treatment recommendations for 27.3 percent of the patient population changed from erlotinib to chemotherapy, resulting in a reduction of use of ineffective therapy. The 5 year survival of advanced NSCLC patients is 1-5%, the implication of which is an average increase in overall survival per patient of slightly more than one month.
“In addition to their clinical value guiding diagnosis, prognosis, and monitoring for patients with advanced NSCLC, molecular diagnostics like VeriStrat can play a part in reducing the overall cost of health care,” said Robin Harper Cowie, Vice President of Reimbursement and Health Economics for Biodesix. “Precision medicine helps physicians base treatment decisions on the tumor’s molecular characteristics and the patient’s immune response to the tumor, guiding patients away from ineffective therapies and helping control medical costs.”
The Outcome and economic implications of proteomic test-guided second- or third-line treatment for advanced non-small cell lung cancer: Extended analysis of the PROSE trial study, authored by John Hornberger, Fred R. Hirsch, Qianyi Li and Ray D. Page, and published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd., can be found at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.lungcan.2015.03.006.
VeriStrat and Biodesix are registered trademarks of Biodesix, Inc. All other trademarks referenced herein are the property of their respective owners.
About Biodesix
Biodesix is a molecular diagnostics company advancing the development of innovative blood-based tests in oncology for precision medicine. VeriStrat® is a commercially available multivariate serum protein test, used for both prognosis and diagnosis in advanced NSCLC. The company provides physicians with diagnostic tests for earlier disease detection, more accurate diagnosis, disease monitoring and better therapeutic guidance, which may lead to improved patient outcomes. Biodesix discovers, develops and commercializes multivariate protein and genomic diagnostic tests on various discovery platforms. In addition to developing novel diagnostics independently, the company partners with biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies to develop companion diagnostics to improve utility of therapeutic agents. For more information about Biodesix, please visit www.Biodesix.com.
Contacts
For Biodesix, Inc.
Patrick French, 1-858-457-2436
Biodesix@Chempetitive.com
Help employers find you! Check out all the jobs and post your resume.
