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Adaptive Biotechnologies Receives Expanded Medicare Coverage of clonoSEQ® for Monitoring Minimal Residual Disease in Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma
clonoSEQ is the first and only assay to receive Medicare coverage for MRD assessment in DLBCL SEATTLE, July 28, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Adaptive
About this update from Adaptive Biotechnologies Corporation
[{"type":"text","content":"clonoSEQ is the first and only assay to receive Medicare coverage for MRD assessment in DLBCL\nSEATTLE, July 28, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Adaptive Biotechnologies Corporation (Nasdaq: ADPT), a commercial stage biotechnology company that aims to translate the genetics of the adaptive immune system into clinical products to diagnose and treat disease, today announced that Palmetto GBA, a Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC) that assesses diagnostic technologies through its MolDX program, has expanded coverage of the clonoSEQ® Assay to include monitoring minimal residual disease (MRD) in Medicare patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), the most common type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). This coverage determination is the first for clonoSEQ to include the assessment of MRD based on circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), fragments of DNA released into the blood from lysed cancer cells. MRD refers to the remaining number of cancer cells that may be present in a patient’s body during and after treatment and that may eventually lead to recurrence of the disease. MRD testing is a simple blood test performed at multiple timepoints throughout a patient’s cancer journey to assess prognosis, determine response to treatment, detect relapse, and inform care. MRD assessment in DLBCL utilizes ctDNA measured in peripheral blood to give oncologists a better understanding of which patients are at high-risk for recurrence and provide them with information to create a more precise treatment plan for each patient. “We’ve advanced therapy for large B-cell lymphomas significantly in recent years; however, a considerable unmet need for highly specific, precise monitoring of disease progression during and after treatment remains,” said Frederick Locke, M.D., chair, Department of Blood and Marrow Transplant and Cellular Immunotherapy, Moffitt Cancer Center. “Measurement of ctDNA to assess MRD provides additional information that can complement or improve upon insights from imaging and that can help inform clinical management.” The updated coverage policy expands DLBCL patient access to clonoSEQ MRD testing, as approximately 75% of actively treated DLBCL patients are Medicare aged. The policy is effective immediately and extends to all DLBCL patients, regardless of line of therapy, treatment regimen, or testing timepoint. clonoSEQ testing for DLBCL...