Luminex Corporation Receives FDA and European Clearance for an Updated Version of Its Comprehensive Genotyping Assay, xTAG® CYP2D6 Kit

Luminex Corporation LMNX today announced it has received U.S. FDA and European clearance for a new version of xTAG CYP2D6 Kit. Additionally the company has submitted xTAG 2C19 Kit to FDA for review. Luminex is advancing its pharmacogenetic initiative for improved patient care. "Test results that inform a physician on how a patient may react to a particular therapeutic are vital to improving patient care," said Patrick J. Balthrop, president and chief executive officer of Luminex. "Pharmacogenetics is a fast-growing field and our flexible technology provides laboratories unique options to address their needs. Attaining FDA and CE clearance for xTAG CYP2D6 Kit demonstrates Luminex's commitment to offering diagnostics that optimize patient outcomes and lower overall health-care costs." Cytochrome P450 2D6 (CYP2D6) is a clinically important gene that encodes a phase one drug metabolizing enzyme. CYP2D6 metabolizes greater than 25% of the drugs in use today including cardiovascular drugs, anti-psychotics, anti-depressants, pain-medications, β-blockers, anti-emetics, antiarrhythmics and anti-cancer drugs. Variations in the CYP2D6 gene can result in distinct drug metabolizing phenotypes leading to sub-optimal drug responses, such as drug toxicity, adverse drug reactions (ADRs), or inadequate therapeutic effect. An estimated 2.2 million serious ADRs occur yearly resulting in 100,000 deaths at a cost of $136 billion in the United States alone.1,2 xTAG CYP2D6 Kit is an IVD assay that analyzes a patient's CYP2D6 genotype from DNA extracted from a blood sample to aid physicians in determining therapeutic strategy for drugs metabolized by the cytochrome P450 2D6 gene product. The assay is run on the flexible Luminex® 100/200™ instrument. This new version of the kit optimizes performance on the *17 allele and features an updated software algorithm that detects all 17 genotypes that the assay is cleared for, including deletion and duplication genotypes. Luminex has also submitted xTAG CYP2C19 Kit for FDA and CE-clearance. The CYP2C19 enzyme is responsible for metabolizing a variety of prodrugs and drugs used to treat ulcers, seizures, malaria and anxiety. It is also partially responsible for metabolizing drugs such as beta-blockers and some antidepressants. Luminex will be featuring the new xTAG CYP2D6 Kit at the American Association of Clinical Chemistry (AACC) Annual Meeting & Clinical Lab, July 30 – Aug. 1 in Houston, TX, Booth #4539. Visit the Luminex booth for more information on Luminex's pharmacogenetic portfolio. More information on xTAG CYP2D6 Kit can be found at www.luminexcorp.com/CYP2D6. About Luminex Corporation Luminex is committed to applying its passion for innovation toward creating breakthrough solutions to improve health and advance science. The company is transforming global healthcare and life-science research through the development, manufacturing and marketing of proprietary instruments and assays utilizing xMAP® open-architecture multi-analyte platform, MultiCode® real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and multiplex PCR-based technologies, that deliver cost-effective rapid results to clinicians and researchers. Luminex's technology is commercially available worldwide and in use in leading clinical laboratories, as well as major pharmaceutical, diagnostic, biotechnology and life-science companies. Luminex is meeting the needs of customers in markets as diverse as clinical diagnostics, pharmaceutical drug discovery, biomedical research including genomic and proteomic research, personalized medicine, biodefense research and food safety. For further information on Luminex Corporation and the latest advances in multiplexing using award winning technology, please visit http://www.luminexcorp.com/.