Myriad Genetics Receives Additional Reimbursement for myChoice Diagnostic System in Japan

Comprehensive Test Helps Identify Women with Advanced Ovarian Cancer Who May Benefit from First-Line Lynparza Maintenance Treatment

SALT LAKE CITY, March 25, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Myriad Genetics, Inc. (NASDAQ: MYGN), a leader in genetic testing and precision medicine, announced that it has received additional reimbursement for its myChoice Diagnostic System in Japan.

The Myriad myChoice test is the most comprehensive tumor test for determining homologous recombination deficiency (HRD) status caused by a range of mutations in genes such as BRCA1 and BRCA2. It enables healthcare professionals to identify patients with advanced ovarian cancer who are eligible for first-line maintenance treatment with Lynparza (olaparib). This capability benefits BRCAm patients – carriers of harmful mutations in either the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene (BRCAm) – and patients whose tumors are HRD-positive. Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare approved myChoice as a companion diagnostic for this indication in November 2020, and in addition to the reimbursement for fourth-line treatment in ovarian cancer, reimbursement is now available for use in first-line treatment, as well.

According to the World Cancer Research Fund, ovarian cancer is the eighth most commonly occurring cancer in women. Most women are diagnosed with advanced (Stage III or IV) ovarian cancer and have a five-year survival rate of approximately 30%, according to the Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance. For patients with advanced ovarian cancer, the primary aim of first-line treatment is to delay progression of the disease for as long as possible and maintain the patient’s quality of life.

“This most recent approval enables physicians to have additional options available to effectively treat women with advanced ovarian cancer,” said Professor Daisuke Aoki, M.D., Ph.D., Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan. “Physicians can now use Myriad myChoice to identify patients that could potentially benefit from maintenance treatment with Lynparza.”

The Myriad myChoice CDx test can be used to identify people with tumors that have lost the ability to repair double-stranded DNA breaks, resulting in increased susceptibility to DNA-damaging drugs such as PARP inhibitors commonly used in cancer treatment. In August 2020, myChoice was exclusively cited by the American Society of Clinical Oncology in recommendations on the use of PARP inhibitors for the treatment and management of BRCAm and HRD-positive patients with advanced ovarian cancer. The new recommendations, based on clinical trial results, were published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. The myChoice test has also been used in the PAOLA-1 and SOLO-1 trials.