A new blood test from Exact Sciences for many types of cancer is set to become available to some patients this summer, according to the Wisconsin State Journal. The Madison company is seeking Medicare coverage authorization before it launches a major study intended for federal approval.
The new multi-cancer blood test from Exact Sciences, called Cancerguard, looks for protein and DNA fragments shed by a variety of cancers — including many for which no screening tests are currently recommended. Patients at Baylor Scott and White Health in Dallas and another center will have the test available to them this summer in a “real-world evidence gathering study,” says Dr. Tomasz Beer, Exact Sciences’ CMO for multi-cancer early detection.
The company has proposed a clinical trial costing as much as $100 million and involving as many as 100,000 people before applying for FDA approval, but it is first seeking Congress’ authorization for Medicare to cover such tests with FDA approval. A bill introduced last year calls for such coverage and has bipartisan support.
In the meantime, competitor Geneoscopy, a St. Louis-based company, received federal approval last week for its ColoSense stool-based colon cancer screening test, which rivals Exact Sciences’ Cologuard.
