Breast Cancer Patients in Germany Now have Insurance Coverage for MammaPrint® Testing through Techniker Krankenkasse
IRVINE, Calif. and AMSTERDAM, Jan. 3, 2020 /CNW/ -- Agendia Inc., a world leader in precision oncology for breast cancer, announces that one of the largest healthcare insurers in Germany, Techniker Krankenkasse, has joined the Selective Contract of the German Pathologists Organisation (Bundesverband Deutscher Pathologen e.V.). This means that Techniker Krankenkasse will begin reimbursing gene-expression tests for their breast cancer patients. Importantly, only diagnostic tests with a CE mark are included in the contract and MammaPrint® fulfils this criterium.
Burkhard Otremba, MD from Onkologische Praxis in Oldenburg confirms, "This sends a good message; it helps our patients and supports our work."
A breast cancer diagnosis can often mean patients are faced with many difficult and unanswered questions. Agendia's mission is to help ease this anxiety for patients and healthcare providers with comprehensive genomic testing for breast cancer. MammaPrint® uses a proprietary, 70-gene expression profile to classify patients with early-stage breast cancer as having a low or high risk of recurrence. It is validated in the prospective MINDACT trial in which many German hospitals and patients participated. BluePrint®, Agendia's additional test, provides critical molecular subtyping information to further enhance treatment planning. Oncologists and breast surgeons use the information provided by MammaPrint® and BluePrint® to guide personalized treatment strategies for each patient diagnosed with early stage breast cancer.
The reimbursement of MammaPrint® for all German breast cancer patients is still pending. IQWiG (Independent Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care or Institut für Qualität und Wirtschaftlichkeit im Gesundheitswesen) is re-evaluating all gene-expression tests including MammaPrint and an update is expected at the beginning of 2020. However, healthcare insurers have already started giving patients access to the test, believing that it will lead to a considerable improvement in patient care.
About Agendia
Agendia is a molecular diagnostics company committed to improving clinical outcomes and informing the journey for patients with early stage breast cancer. The company currently offers two commercially-available genomic profiling tests, processed through its state-of-the-art facility in Irvine, California. Agendia also provides a next generation sequencing kit for use by local laboratories outside of the United States.
MammaPrint®, the 70-gene breast cancer recurrence assay, is the first FDA-cleared risk-of-recurrence test backed by peer-reviewed, prospective outcome data and included in both national and international treatment guidelines. BluePrint®, the 80-gene molecular subtyping assay, is a commercially-available test that evaluates the underlying biology of a tumor to determine what is driving its growth. Together, MammaPrint® and BluePrint® provide a comprehensive genomic profile to help physicians make more informed decisions in the pre- and post-operative treatment settings. By developing evidence-based, novel genomic tests, Agendia aims to support the evolving clinical needs of breast cancer patients and their physicians.
Agendia's assays can be ordered on core biopsies or surgical specimens with results provided in as little as 5-7 days to inform pre- and post-operative treatment decisions. For more information on Agendia's assays and ongoing trials, please visit www.agendia.com
SOURCE Agendia
Corafien Kuck-Baas, MSc., Agendia NV, +31-20-4621500, http://www.agendia.com
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