Exagen and GSK partner for 4th straight year, driving greater awareness of challenges facing lupus diagnosis and management

SAN DIEGO, Nov. 16, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --Exagen Diagnostics, Inc. (Nasdaq: XGN), an organization dedicated to transforming the care continuum for patients suffering from debilitating and chronic autoimmune diseases by enabling timely differential diagnosis and optimizing therapeutic intervention, today announced that it has extended its collaboration agreement with GlaxoSmithKline plc (GSK), one of the world’s leading healthcare companies, to raise awareness of the importance of timely diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), the most common and severe form of lupus. At the center of the program are the proprietary AVISE^® laboratory tests, which can facilitate early diagnosis and management of SLE, a complex, incurable autoimmune disease. The details of the agreement are confidential.

This extension follows a similar one-year extension that Exagen and GSK entered into last year, and will continue to support the shared goal of helping SLE patients shorten the time to their diagnosis, which is nearly six years on average, and to facilitate improved patient outcomes.

Ron Rocca, President and CEO of Exagen shared, “We’re pleased to continue working with GSK, which demonstrates our ability to collaborate with major pharmaceutical companies in a shared commitment to improve patients’ lives. Having access to advanced test result data such as the AVISE^® tests can support diagnosis, prognosis, and monitoring of challenging conditions like SLE.”

About Exagen Inc.

Exagen is dedicated to transforming the care continuum for patients suffering from debilitating and chronic autoimmune diseases by enabling timely differential diagnosis and optimizing therapeutic intervention. Exagen has developed and is commercializing a portfolio of innovative testing products under its AVISE^® brand. Several of these products are based on our proprietary Cell-Bound Complement Activation Products, or CB-CAPs, technology. CB-CAPs assess the activation of the complement system, a biological pathway implicated in systemic lupus erythematosus, or SLE. Exagen’s goal is to enable rheumatologists to improve care for patients through the differential diagnosis, prognosis and monitoring of complex autoimmune and autoimmune-related diseases, including SLE and rheumatoid arthritis, or RA. Exagen’s model of integrating testing products and therapeutics positions Exagen to offer targeted solutions to rheumatologists and, ultimately, better serve patients. For more information, please visit www.Exagen.com.

About GSK

GSK – a science-led global healthcare company with a special purpose: to help people do more, feel better, live longer. For further information please visit www.gsk.com/about-us.

Forward Looking Statements

Exagen cautions you that statements contained in this press release regarding matters that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements. These statements are based on the company’s current beliefs and expectations. Such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the expected benefits or results of Exagen’s collaboration with GSK, and the performance the AVISE^® laboratory tests and benefits of the test results data obtained therefrom. The inclusion of forward-looking statements should not be regarded as a representation by Exagen that any of its plans will be achieved. Actual results may differ from those set forth in this press release due to the risks and uncertainties inherent in Exagen’s business, including, without limitation: the COVID-19 pandemic may continue to adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations, including as a result of shutdowns of our facilities and operations as well as those of our suppliers and courier services, impeding patient movement and interruptions to healthcare services causing a decrease in test volumes, disruptions to the supply chain of material needed for our tests, our sales and commercialization activities and our ability to receive specimens and perform or deliver the results from our tests, delays in reimbursement and coverage decisions from Medicare and third-party payors and in interactions with regulatory authorities, and delays in ongoing and planned clinical trials involving our tests; the company’s commercial success depends upon attaining and maintaining significant market acceptance of its testing products and promoted therapeutics among rheumatologists, patients, third-party payers and others in the medical community; the company’s ability to successfully execute on its Dx/Rx strategy, including its promotion efforts for SIMPONI®; third party payers not providing coverage and adequate reimbursement for the company’s testing products or promoted therapeutics; the company’s ability to obtain and maintain intellectual property protection for its testing products; regulatory developments affecting the company’s business; and other risks described in the company’s prior press releases and the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including under the heading “Risk Factors” in the company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K and any subsequent filings with the SEC. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof, and Exagen undertakes no obligation to update such statements to reflect events that occur or circumstances that exist after the date hereof. All forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement, which is made under the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.

Investors
Westwicke Partners
Mike Cavanaugh
Mike.Cavanaugh@westwicke.com
646.677.1838

Company
Exagen Inc.
Kamal Adawi, Chief Financial Officer
kadawi@exagen.com
760.477.5514