Exact Sciences' Cologuard Included in Final USPSTF Colorectal Cancer Screening Recommendations
06/15/2016
MADISON, Wis., June 15, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Exact Sciences Corp. (Nasdaq: EXAS) today announced that the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) issued its final 2016 colorectal cancer screening recommendations and clarified the inclusion of Cologuard® (FIT-DNA) on equal standing among the other included screening tests.
Exact Sciences Corporation Logo (PRNewsFoto/EXACT SCIENCES CORPORATION)
"We believe the final recommendations provide an important level of clarity to patients, physicians and insurers and that Cologuard should receive the benefits given to A-rated preventive services under the Affordable Care Act," said Kevin Conroy, Exact Sciences' chairman and CEO. "We thank the Task Force for carefully reviewing the body of scientific evidence supporting Cologuard and for providing this clear guidance."
The USPSTF clarified the standing of Cologuard in its final Recommendation Statement, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association today, after reviewing additional scientific literature and public comments about its Oct. 5, 2015 draft guidelines. The final recommendations state, "Many comments expressed concern that the terms 'recommended' and 'alternative' to describe the testing strategies lacked clarity and were confusing to interpret. In response, the USPSTF removed these terms from the final recommendation to better communicate the primary message of importance: there is convincing evidence that screening for colorectal cancer provides substantial benefit for adults aged 50 to 75 years, and a sizable proportion of the eligible US population is not taking advantage of this effective preventive health strategy. With this recommendation, the USPSTF acknowledges that there is no 'one size fits all' approach to colorectal cancer screening and seeks to provide clinicians and patients with the best possible evidence about the various screening methods to enable informed, individual decision making."
The final recommendations also recognize the use of Cologuard every three years, in keeping with the recommendation of the American Cancer Society and the coverage interval established by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
"We're pleased with the clarity of these recommendations and expect they will expand and promote utilization of Cologuard as an innovative colon cancer screening option," Mr. Conroy said. "The final USPSTF recommendations released today update the 2008 recommendations and reflect the rapid evolution that occurred among cancer screening technologies during the past eight years. The recommendations offer patients a range of screening options that includes Cologuard, providing an opportunity to increase the number of people getting screened, detect more early-stage cancers, and eventually get closer to eradicating this preventable disease."
The Task Force's full recommendation statement can be found here.
- See more at: http://investor.exactsciences.com/investor-re...2UZNs.dpuf
06/15/2016
MADISON, Wis., June 15, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Exact Sciences Corp. (Nasdaq: EXAS) today announced that the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) issued its final 2016 colorectal cancer screening recommendations and clarified the inclusion of Cologuard® (FIT-DNA) on equal standing among the other included screening tests.
Exact Sciences Corporation Logo (PRNewsFoto/EXACT SCIENCES CORPORATION)
"We believe the final recommendations provide an important level of clarity to patients, physicians and insurers and that Cologuard should receive the benefits given to A-rated preventive services under the Affordable Care Act," said Kevin Conroy, Exact Sciences' chairman and CEO. "We thank the Task Force for carefully reviewing the body of scientific evidence supporting Cologuard and for providing this clear guidance."
The USPSTF clarified the standing of Cologuard in its final Recommendation Statement, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association today, after reviewing additional scientific literature and public comments about its Oct. 5, 2015 draft guidelines. The final recommendations state, "Many comments expressed concern that the terms 'recommended' and 'alternative' to describe the testing strategies lacked clarity and were confusing to interpret. In response, the USPSTF removed these terms from the final recommendation to better communicate the primary message of importance: there is convincing evidence that screening for colorectal cancer provides substantial benefit for adults aged 50 to 75 years, and a sizable proportion of the eligible US population is not taking advantage of this effective preventive health strategy. With this recommendation, the USPSTF acknowledges that there is no 'one size fits all' approach to colorectal cancer screening and seeks to provide clinicians and patients with the best possible evidence about the various screening methods to enable informed, individual decision making."
The final recommendations also recognize the use of Cologuard every three years, in keeping with the recommendation of the American Cancer Society and the coverage interval established by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
"We're pleased with the clarity of these recommendations and expect they will expand and promote utilization of Cologuard as an innovative colon cancer screening option," Mr. Conroy said. "The final USPSTF recommendations released today update the 2008 recommendations and reflect the rapid evolution that occurred among cancer screening technologies during the past eight years. The recommendations offer patients a range of screening options that includes Cologuard, providing an opportunity to increase the number of people getting screened, detect more early-stage cancers, and eventually get closer to eradicating this preventable disease."
The Task Force's full recommendation statement can be found here.
- See more at: http://investor.exactsciences.com/investor-re...2UZNs.dpuf
