Myriad Genetics Inc.
(
MYGN
) revealed favorable findings for its Prolaris test for the
diagnosis of prostate cancer in patients. The findings of the
study entitled 'Validation of a panel of cell cycle progression
genes for improved risk-stratification in a contemporary radical
prostatectomy cohort' were published in
Journal of Clinical Oncology.
The primary inference of the study implies that Myriad's Prolaris
test was effective in stratifying men, based on the risk of
biochemical recurrence. According to the study, Prolaris
successfully predicted the elevated risk for recurrence of
prostate cancer in 413 male patients who had undergone a radical
prostatectomy surgery.
Research displayed the efficacy of Prolaris test as all the
patients with low-risk Prolaris scores were found not to suffer
from recurring prostate cancer within the five year study period.
Nonetheless, 50% of the patients with high-risk Prolaris scores
reported recurring prostate cancer. Notably, the prediction of
the risk of prostate cancer recurrence based on Prolaris test
scores were found to be more accurate compared with available
clinical parameters used in risk assessment of patients.
Currently, Myriad's Prolaris has published and peer reviewed data
incorporating four major studies (including the one published in
Journal of Clinical Oncology
) involving more than 1,500 patients. Each of the studies
indicates the clinical efficacy of predictive power of Prolaris
test for prostate cancer recurrence and survival across a wide
array of tissue formats.
Our Take
We are encouraged by the company's focus on Prolaris and studies
which provide favorable data on the product. The company is also
progressing on its commercialization efforts and increasing its
sales team with an eye on the untapped $1.8 billion market in the
U.S.
With BART (Bracanalysis Rearrangement Technology) and Colaris
tests gaining traction, Prolaris appears to be the company's lead
pipeline candidate. We believe that the Prolaris test has the
potential to become a significant revenue driver for Myriad. We
look forward to the commercialization and reimbursement decision
on Prolaris with full optimism.
The stock carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). Other Zacks Rank #2
medical stocks are
Conceptus
(
CPTS
),
Edwards Lifesciences
(
EW
) and
Covidien
(
COV
).
COVIDIEN PLC (COV): Free Stock Analysis
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CONCEPTUS INC (CPTS): Free Stock Analysis
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EDWARDS LIFESCI (EW): Free Stock Analysis
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MYRIAD GENETICS (MYGN): Free Stock Analysis
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