[Pharm-policy] $1,950 for Mryiad's test on the MLH1 and MSH2 genes

[James Love]

The price for Mryiad's test on the MLH1 and MSH2 genes is
$1,950.  

http://www.myriad.com/pr/20000928.html

MYRIAD GENETICS LAUNCHES COLARIS COLON CANCER TEST

Individuals with Family History of Colon Cancer Now
Being Analyzed

Salt Lake City, September 28, 2000

Myriad Genetics, Inc. (Nasdaq: MYGN) announced today that it has
launched COLARIS?, its new predictive medicine test for hereditary colon
cancer.

COLARIS detects disease-causing mutations in two genes, MLH1 and MSH2,
which are responsible for the majority of hereditary colorectal and
uterine cancer.  An individual's risk of colon cancer is increased 40
times by a disease-causing mutation, to approximately 80%, from just 2%
in the general population in the United States. Women with a mutation in
one of these two genes also have a 40 times greater risk of uterine
cancer and 8 times greater risk of ovarian cancer as compared with the
general population. The greatly increased risks indicate that preventive
healthcare measures and increased surveillance for these cancers are
appropriate and have the potential to save thousands of lives.

The fee for COLARIS is $1,950, and insurance reimbursement is
available. Individuals with a family history of colon cancer or uterine
cancer are encouraged to take advantage of Myriad's reimbursement
assistance program. 

   [snip]


The COLARIS test uses the same proprietary technology developed by
Myriad for identifying a woman's risk of breast and ovarian cancer. It
is the gold standard in genetic analysis, providing the most accurate
assessment of risk to patients based upon their genetic makeup. COLARIS
will be sold through Myriad's own sales force of oncology specialists
and promoted to insurers by dedicated insurance specialists.

Colon cancer is a serious health problem in the United States. Over
130,000 patients will be diagnosed with colon or rectal cancer in the
year 2000 and more than 56,000 will die of the disease. Approximately
30% of these cases will have a strong family history of the disease.
Individuals with a family history of colon cancer should discuss the
benefits of COLARIS? with their physician. Those at risk include
patients and relatives of patients with colorectal cancer that was
diagnosed prior to age 50 or two family members with colorectal cancer
in which either had early onset of the disease or multiple colorectal
polyps.

Myriad Genetics, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the
development of therapeutic and diagnostic products that are based on the
use of genomic and proteomic technologies. The Company has established
two wholly owned subsidiaries. Myriad Pharmaceuticals, Inc. develops and
intends to market therapeutic compounds, and Myriad Genetic
Laboratories, Inc. develops and markets proprietary molecular diagnostic
services and has introduced products in the fields of predictive
medicine and personalized medicine. The Company has established
strategic alliances with Bayer, Eli Lilly, Hitachi, Novartis, Pharmacia,
Roche, Schering AG and Schering-Plough.

  [snip]

-- 
James Love  mailto:love@cptech.org http://www.cptech.org
Consumer Project on Technology, P.O. Box 19367, Washington, DC 20036
voice 1.202.387.8030  fax  1.202.234.5176