SALT LAKE CITY, UT--(Marketwire - April 30, 2009) - Myriad Genetics, Inc. (NASDAQ: MYGN) announced today that an article entitled “BRCA1 and BRCA2 Mutations in Women of Different Ethnicities Undergoing Testing for Hereditary Breast-Ovarian Cancer” will appear in the May 15, 2009 issue of the journal CANCER. The study demonstrates that BRACAnalysis® testing of at-risk women across diverse ethnicities helps identify individuals who may benefit from improved surveillance, medical and surgical strategies to reduce their hereditary cancer risks.
“This study, the largest of its kind, shows convincingly that strong family or personal history of breast or ovarian cancer is associated with a high prevalence of BRCA mutations -- irrespective of one’s ethnic heritage,” stated Gregory C. Critchfield, M.D., M.S., President of Myriad Genetic Laboratories.
The association between ethnicity and the risk of BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations has not been well understood in women of non-European ancestry. This study provides important information for women of Asian, African, Latin American and Native American ancestry that may impact breast cancer prevention and treatment efforts among women in these populations. The study, performed by researchers at Philadelphia’s Fox Chase Cancer Center and Myriad Genetics, Inc., analyzed the prevalence of BRCA1/BRCA2 gene mutations in patients of different ethnicities at risk for hereditary breast and ovarian cancer. The study included test results of 46,276 women during the ten-year period from 1996 to 2006. Study subjects encompassed a broad, diverse ethnic group, including individuals of European, Latin American, African, Asian and Native American ancestries. To date, this work represents the largest group of patients tested for BRCA mutations reported in the literature. All testing was performed at Myriad Genetics, Inc.
Results of the study showed that BRCA disease-causing mutations were identified in 5,780 women tested (12.5%) across all ethnic populations. Importantly, the study demonstrated that individuals of African and Latin American ancestry had as great a risk in having BRCA mutations as women with western European ancestry, when controlled for the level of personal and family history of breast and ovarian cancer.
Professional medical society guidelines, such as the American Society of Clinical Oncologists (ASCO), the Society of Gynecologic Oncologists (SGO), and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), articulate risk factors for BRCA gene mutations, which include, among others, breast cancer occurring before age 50, personal or family history of ovarian cancer at any age, personal or family history of male breast cancer, Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry with breast cancer at any age, or the presence of a known BRCA mutation in the family.
About BRACAnalysis®
BRACAnalysis® is a comprehensive analysis of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes for assessing a woman’s risk for breast and ovarian cancer. A woman who tests positive with the BRACAnalysis® test has, on average, an 82% lifetime risk of developing breast cancer during her lifetime and a 44% risk of developing ovarian cancer. BRACAnalysis® provides important information that the Company believes will help the patient and her physician make better informed lifestyle, surveillance, preventive medication and treatment decisions. As published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, researchers have shown that pre-symptomatic individuals who have a high risk of developing breast cancer can reduce their risk by approximately 50% with appropriate preventive therapies. Additionally, as published in the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers have shown that pre-symptomatic individuals who carry gene mutations can lower their risk of developing ovarian cancer by approximately 60% with appropriate preventive therapies.
For more information about BRACAnalysis®, please call 1-800-4-MYRIAD, or visit www.myriadtests.com.
About Myriad Genetics
Myriad Genetics, Inc. is a leading healthcare company focused on the development and marketing of novel molecular diagnostic and therapeutic products. Myriad’s news and other information are available on the Company’s Web site at www.myriad.com.
Myriad, the Myriad logo, BRACAnalysis, Colaris, Colaris AP, Melaris, TheraGuide, Prezeon, OnDose, Azixa and Vivecon are trademarks or registered trademarks of Myriad Genetics, Inc. in the United States and foreign countries. MYGN-G
This press release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements relating to the expansion of market opportunity for Myriad’s BRACAnalysis tests as a result of the published data; the publication of a new BRACAnalysis study in CANCER on May 1, 2009; the ability of BRACAnalysis testing of at-risk women across diverse ethnicities to help identify individuals who may benefit from improved surveillance, medical and surgical strategies to reduce their hereditary cancer risks; the impact and importance of the study information for women of Asian, African, Latin American and Native American ancestry on breast cancer prevention and treatment efforts; and the belief of the Company that BRACAnalysis provides important information that will help the patient and her physician make better informed lifestyle, surveillance, preventative medication and treatment decisions. These “forward-looking statements” are based on management’s current expectations of future events and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially and adversely from those set forth in or implied by forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: the risk that we may be unable to further identify, develop and achieve commercial success for new products and technologies; the risk that we may be unable to discover drugs that are safer and more efficacious than our competitors; the risk that we may be unable to develop and maintain manufacturing or laboratory processing capabilities for our products; the risk that sales of our existing molecular diagnostic products may decline or not continue to increase at historical rates; the risk that we may be unable to develop additional molecular diagnostic products that help assess which patients are subject to greater risk of developing diseases and who would therefore benefit from new preventive therapies; the possibility of delays in the research and development necessary to select drug development candidates and delays in clinical trials; the risk that clinical trials may not result in marketable products; the risk that we may be unable to successfully finance and secure regulatory approval of and market our drug candidates, or that clinical trials will not be completed on the timelines we have estimated; uncertainties about our ability to obtain new corporate collaborations and acquire new technologies on satisfactory terms, if at all; the development of competing products and services; the risk that we may be unable to protect our proprietary technologies; the risk of patent-infringement claims; risks of new, changing and competitive technologies and regulations in the United States and internationally; and other factors discussed under the heading “Risk Factors” contained in Item 1A in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended June 30, 2008, which has been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, as well as any updates to those risk factors filed from time to time in our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q or Current Reports on Form 8-K. All information in this press release is as of the date of the release, and Myriad undertakes no duty to update this information unless required by law.
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Suzanne Barton
Director, Investor Relations
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