LabCorp To Offer a New Companion Diagnostic for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Laboratory Corporation of America LH announced today the nationwide availability of a new FDA-approved companion diagnostic for lung cancer patients. “The recent approval of XALKORI for NSCLC and its companion test demonstrates how laboratory diagnostics will play an even larger role in cancer care, assisting physicians in administering the treatments best suited to the disease.” The drug XALKORI, available from Pfizer, and Abbott Molecular's Vysis ALK Break Apart FISH Probe companion diagnostic test were simultaneously approved by the FDA on August 26, 2011 for use in patients with advanced ALK-positive non-small cell lung cancer. The Vysis ALK Break Apart FISH Probe test detects all ALK gene rearrangements and is the only available diagnostic assay that has been clinically validated to predict response to the targeted therapy XALKORI. An estimated 6,500-11,000 individuals will develop advanced ALK-positive NSCLC in the United States in 2011. “2011 has been an important year for personalized medicine,” indicated Dr. Mark Brecher, LabCorp's Chief Medical Officer. “The recent approval of XALKORI for NSCLC and its companion test demonstrates how laboratory diagnostics will play an even larger role in cancer care, assisting physicians in administering the treatments best suited to the disease.”