EDX Medical Group plc (AQSE:EDX), a developer of innovative digital diagnostic products and services for personalised treatment of cancer, heart disease and infectious diseases, has announced that it has entered into a strategic agreement with Guardant Health Inc. (NASDAQ: GH), a leading precision oncology company, to distribute Guardant Health’s blood-based liquid biopsy tests in certain market sectors in the U.K. and several Nordic countries.
Under the agreement, EDX Medical will distribute the Guardant360® CDx test for genomic testing in advanced cancer and the Guardant Reveal™ test for residual disease and recurrence detection in early-stage cancer to the private healthcare sector in the U.K. The company will also distribute Guardant360 CDx to public and private sectors in Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland and Iceland (Nordics).
The distribution contract with Guardant Health is another step in EDX Medical’s strategy to provide healthcare professionals with world-class products and services to rapidly improve cancer diagnosis, drug therapy selection, and recurrence detection, supporting improved clinical outcomes for patients. EDX Medical will provide a local service including optional home-based blood sample collection.
Guardant Health is a market leader in clinical cancer diagnostics and was the first company to receive U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of a blood test for comprehensive genomic profiling of all solid tumors.
Guardant360® CDx is the first FDA-approved blood test for genomic testing, or tumour mutation profiling, across all solid cancers. The test identifies guideline-recommended biomarkers to help oncologists quickly match patients to targeted therapies.
Guardant Reveal™ is the first blood-only liquid biopsy test that detects circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) for minimal residual disease (MRD) assessment in colorectal, breast, and lung cancer, and can also be used to monitor recurrence in previously diagnosed patients.
“Guardant has proven itself as a true pioneer in cancer genomics and we are proud that they have selected EDX Medical as their commercial partner for the U.K. and Nordic countries,” said Professor Sir Chris Evans OBE, founder of EDX Medical. “The tests that we will be distributing are outstanding in the sector and make a tremendous difference to healthcare professionals and patients.”
Dr, Mike Hudson, chief executive of EDX Medical, said: “I’m delighted to be working with the scientific leaders at Guardant Health. This agreement provides our clients with access to world-class genomic testing products and the opportunity to join a group of thought leaders in personalised medicine.”
“Guardant Health is dedicated to helping cancer patients live longer and healthier lives by providing healthcare professionals with insights into the genomic factors driving tumor growth,” said Chris Freeman, Guardant Health chief commercial officer. “We look forward to making blood-based genomic testing available to more physicians and patients across the UK and Europe through our relationship with EDX.”
