Exact
Sciences Corp. (NASDAQ:EXAS) today announced that Tufts Health Plan,
with more than 1 million members across Massachusetts and Rhode Island,
will cover Cologuard as a colon cancer screening test effective March
15, 2015.
Cologuard is the first and only FDA-approved, noninvasive stool-based
DNA (sDNA) colorectal cancer screening test for average risk patients.
The test will be available to members aged 50 and older who are enrolled
in one of Tufts Health Plan’s Medicaid, Medicare Preferred HMO, Senior
Care Options plan, or commercial HMO/POS plans.
Tufts Health Plan is ranked the #1 health plan in the country for its
Commercial plans and its Medicaid plans*. Its Medicare Preferred HMO and
Senior Care Options plans earned a 4.5 star rating (out of five) from
the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for 2015.
“We are excited to work with Tufts Health Plan, an organization that
supports evidence-based approaches to health and wellness, to bring our
patient-friendly colon cancer screening option to its members,” said Kevin
Conroy, Chairman and CEO of Exact Sciences. “The steady momentum around
reimbursement for Cologuard since launch underscores the strength of our
clinical data and the demand for more noninvasive screening options in
order to improve colon cancer screening rates across the country.”
Cologuard offers people 50 years and older who are at average risk for
colorectal cancer an easy-to-use screening test that they can do in the
privacy of their own home. Unlike many other screening options,
Cologuard does not require medication, dietary restrictions or bowel
preparation prior to taking the test. It is the first noninvasive
screening test for colorectal cancer that analyzes both sDNA and blood
biomarkers to detect cancer and precancer. Cologuard is available by
prescription only.
* The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) Private and
Medicaid Health Insurance Plan Rankings 2014-2015.
About Cologuard
Cologuard was approved by the FDA in August 2014 and results from Exact
Sciences’ prospective 90-site, point-in-time, 10,000-patient pivotal
trial were published in the New England Journal of Medicine in
March 2014. Cologuard is included in the colorectal cancer screening
guidelines of the American Cancer Society and stool DNA is listed in the
screening guidelines of the U.S. Multi-Society Task Force on Colorectal
Cancer.
Cologuard is indicated to screen adults of either sex, 50 years or
older, who are at average risk for colorectal cancer. Cologuard is not
for everyone and is not a replacement for diagnostic colonoscopy or
surveillance colonoscopy in high-risk individuals. False positives and
false negatives do occur. Any positive test result should be followed by
a diagnostic colonoscopy. Following a negative result, patients should
continue participating in a screening program at an interval and with a
method appropriate for the individual patient. Cologuard performance
when used for repeat testing has not been evaluated or established. For
more information about Cologuard, visit www.CologuardTest.com.
Rx Only.
About Exact Sciences Corp.
Exact Sciences Corp. (NASDAQ: EXAS) is a molecular diagnostics company
focused on the early detection and prevention of colorectal cancer. The
company has exclusive intellectual property protecting its noninvasive,
molecular screening technology for the detection of colorectal cancer.
For more information, please visit the company’s website at www.exactsciences.com,
follow us on Twitter @ExactSciences
or find us on Facebook.
Certain statements made in this news release contain forward-looking
statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of
1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities and Exchange Act of
1934, as amended that are intended to be covered by the “safe harbor”
created by those sections. Forward-looking statements, which are
based on certain assumptions and describe our future plans, strategies
and expectations, can generally be identified by the use of
forward-looking terms such as “believe,” “expect,” “may,” “will,”
“should,” “could,” “seek,” “intend,” “plan,” “estimate,” “anticipate” or
other comparable terms. Forward-looking statements in this news
release may address the following subjects among others: statements
regarding the sufficiency of our capital resources, our ability to
secure favorable reimbursement rates from Medicare and other third-party
payors, timing of our launch of a commercial product, our estimates of
the available market size and our potential penetration, expected
research and development expenses, expected general and administrative
expenses and our expectations concerning our business strategy. Forward-looking
statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties which could cause
actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking
statements, as a result of various factors including those risks and
uncertainties described in the Risk Factors and in Management’s
Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
sections of our most recently filed Annual Report on Form 10-K and
our subsequently filed Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. We
urge you to consider those risks and uncertainties in evaluating our
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of the date made. Except as otherwise required by the federal
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Copyright Business Wire 2015