Biodesix acquires Oncimmune’s laboratory and IPN malignancy test in US

Biodesix, a lung cancer diagnostic solutions company, has acquired UK-based Oncimmune‘s laboratory and incidental pulmonary nodule (IPN) malignancy test in the US, to expand its blood-based lung cancer diagnostic portfolio.

Oncimmune’s US commercial and lab operations, including a Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) lab in DeSoto, Kansas, has now been transferred to Biodesix. The Kansas lab is said to be the only US provider of the EarlyCDT Lung test.

David Brunel – CEO of Biodesix said: “Biodesix is a leader in the development and delivery of blood-based diagnostic solutions for lung cancer. The completion of the acquisition of Oncimmune in the U.S. is emblematic of our continued growth in providing support across the continuum of patient lung care.

“Oncimmune shares this commitment, and we are proud to continue our partnership. We are both dedicated to robust science and quality, while putting the individual patient experience first.”

Biodesix said that it will offer complementary tests that help in empowering physicians to classify patients into distinct nodule management pathways. The EarlyCDT Lung test enables physicians to establish if an incidental pulmonary nodule (IPN) is potentially cancerous, while the Nodify XL2TM Test will help them identify those IPNs having a very low risk of cancer.

Apart from lung nodule management, the EarlyCDT Lung test could have future utility in lung cancer screening, said Biodesix. Results from Early detection of Cancer of the Lung Scotland (ECLS), a randomized controlled study of 12,209 people with high risk of developing cancer, were unveiled at the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer’s (IASLC) 2019 World Conference on Lung Cancer in Barcelona, Spain.

Adam M. Hill – CEO of Oncimmune said: “We are delighted to be working with Biodesix, a company with a successful track record of commercializing clinical diagnostic lung tests in the U.S. and that is dedicated to improving patient management and outcomes.

“In the near term, EarlyCDT Lung is a very synergistic addition to the Nodify XL2 test in helping physicians manage IPNs. Longer term, the addition of a screening indication for EarlyCDT Lung in the U.S. will fully realize the value of the test and will ultimately save lives through earlier detection of lung cancer.”