13 September 2018

 

 

Draft Coverage Supports the Use of InVisionFirst-Lung for Aiding in the Management of Patients with Advanced Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer

 

Research Triangle Park, NC and Cambridge, UK, September 13, 2018 -- Inivata, a leader in liquid biopsy, today announces that Palmetto GBA, a Medicare Administrative Contractor that  evaluates diagnostic technology through its laboratory technology assessment group, MolDx, has published a draft local coverage determination (LCD) for the InVisionFirst-Lung test. The draft LCD recommends coverage for InVisionFirst-Lung to aid clinicians in treatment decisions for CMS members fighting advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC).

 

Approximately 222,500 new cases of lung cancer will be diagnosed in the US during 2018 with 80% to 85% being NSCLC.[i],[ii]  The disease is by far the leading cause of cancer death among both men and women. Using traditional tissue biopsies to diagnose and analyze the disease involves a highly invasive procedure which carries significant risks and is expensive. Obtaining sufficient tissue to allow physicians to fully characterize all the markers required for current FDA approved therapeutics is often difficult and as a consequence only a minority of patients receive the tumor characterization/profiling recommended in professional guidelines.[iii],[iv],[v],[vi],[vii] A liquid biopsy, which uses a simple blood test, allows powerful genetic analysis to be carried out at lower-cost than traditional tissue biopsy and for results to be available more quickly, which can be critical when treatment decisions are being made.

 

Clive Morris, Chief Executive Officer at Inivata, said: “Today’s announcement is a significant step for Inivata, for clinicians and for patients with advanced NSCLC. The use of liquid biopsy can help guide physicians in treating their patients with the most effective therapies, especially in those patients who may have insufficient tumour tissue available for full genomic analysis, or who are unsuitable for such invasive tissue biopsy procedures due to the risks involved.”

 

Bonnie Addario, Chair of Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation, said: “When there is not enough tissue available for a conventional biopsy, we know that a liquid biopsy has the best chance to get a patient to the most effective course of treatment. The InVisionFirst-Lung test means patients receive individualized treatment by ensuring that there is precise genomic profiling. As a survivor, I know that less invasive and timelier ways to detect and treat lung cancer truly benefits patients. Today’s announcement means these benefits will be available to a far great number of advanced lung cancer patients.”

 

Inivata’s submission included data from a large-scale prospective clinical validation study led by Dr Ramaswamy Govindan, Professor of Medicine, at the Washington University School of Medicine. Results of the study will be presented at the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC) on September 25th in Toronto.

 

The draft LCD will go through a public comment period before being finalized and implemented.