MADISON, Wis.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Exact Sciences Corp. (NASDAQ:EXAS) today announced that Tufts Health Plan, with more than 1 million members across Massachusetts and Rhode Island, will cover Cologuard as a colon cancer screening test effective March 15, 2015.
Cologuard is the first and only FDA-approved, noninvasive stool-based DNA (sDNA) colorectal cancer screening test for average risk patients. The test will be available to members aged 50 and older who are enrolled in one of Tufts Health Plan’s Medicaid, Medicare Preferred HMO, Senior Care Options plan, or commercial HMO/POS plans.
Tufts Health Plan is ranked the #1 health plan in the country for its Commercial plans and its Medicaid plans*. Its Medicare Preferred HMO and Senior Care Options plans earned a 4.5 star rating (out of five) from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for 2015.
“We are excited to work with Tufts Health Plan, an organization that supports evidence-based approaches to health and wellness, to bring our patient-friendly colon cancer screening option to its members,” said Kevin Conroy, Chairman and CEO of Exact Sciences. “The steady momentum around reimbursement for Cologuard since launch underscores the strength of our clinical data and the demand for more noninvasive screening options in order to improve colon cancer screening rates across the country.”
Cologuard offers people 50 years and older who are at average risk for colorectal cancer an easy-to-use screening test that they can do in the privacy of their own home. Unlike many other screening options, Cologuard does not require medication, dietary restrictions or bowel preparation prior to taking the test. It is the first noninvasive screening test for colorectal cancer that analyzes both sDNA and blood biomarkers to detect cancer and precancer. Cologuard is available by prescription only.
* The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) Private and Medicaid Health Insurance Plan Rankings 2014-2015.
About Cologuard
Cologuard was approved by the FDA in August 2014 and results from Exact Sciences’ prospective 90-site, point-in-time, 10,000-patient pivotal trial were published in theNew England Journal of Medicine in March 2014. Cologuard is included in the colorectal cancer screening guidelines of the American Cancer Society and stool DNA is listed in the screening guidelines of the U.S. Multi-Society Task Force on Colorectal Cancer.
Cologuard is indicated to screen adults of either sex, 50 years or older, who are at average risk for colorectal cancer. Cologuard is not for everyone and is not a replacement for diagnostic colonoscopy or surveillance colonoscopy in high-risk individuals. False positives and false negatives do occur. Any positive test result should be followed by a diagnostic colonoscopy. Following a negative result, patients should continue participating in a screening program at an interval and with a method appropriate for the individual patient. Cologuard performance when used for repeat testing has not been evaluated or established. For more information about Cologuard, visit www.CologuardTest.com. Rx Only.
About Exact Sciences Corp.
Exact Sciences Corp. (NASDAQ: EXAS) is a molecular diagnostics company focused on the early detection and prevention of colorectal cancer. The company has exclusive intellectual property protecting its noninvasive, molecular screening technology for the detection of colorectal cancer. For more information, please visit the company’s website at www.exactsciences.com, follow us on Twitter @ExactSciences or find us on Facebook.
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