Rosetta Genomics Launch Admera’s Sequencing-Based Oncology Tests

Rosetta Genomics Ltd. announces the commercial launch of the first of the oncology testing services gained through its previously announced collaboration with Admera Health (October 30, 2014). Rosetta Genomics is now offering PGxOne™, a pharmacogenomics test that predicts patients’ responses to drugs based on their personal genetic makeup to avoid adverse effects; and EGFR and KRAS clinical sequencing, which provides genomic analysis of those tumor-based mutations from patient tissue to provide clinically relevant information relating to potential response to therapy, which is helpful for physicians, pathologists and researchers.

EGFR and KRAS sequence analysis of tumor biopsies can help predict tumor response to specific targeted therapies. These biomarkers are most often used to help determine treatment of non-small cell lung and colorectal cancers, and are predictive and prognostic indicators for patients on tyrosine kinase inhibitor drugs, such as Erlotinib (Tarceva®) and Gefitinib (Iressa™), and anti-EGFR monoclonal antibody drugs, such as panitumumab (Vectibix®) and cetuximab (Erbitux®).

Genomic differences between individuals can affect drug absorption, metabolism, or activity, thus one treatment regimen may work well for one patient while potentially causing adverse effects for other patients. Cancer patients may require other medications beyond their cancer therapy that may interact in a drug-gene-drug fashion and complicate their care. PGxOne™ provides medically actionable and clinically relevant data for cancer patients, helping physicians to make better treatment decisions in advance.

Rosetta Genomics’ 12-person specialty molecular diagnostics sales force will be promoting PGxOne, EGFR and KRAS to oncologists and pathologists, the same call points for Rosetta’s current molecular diagnostic tests. Importantly, the PGxOne™ product offering provides the opportunity to expand Rosetta Genomics’ sales call point to hospital-based pharmacies. In addition to traditional sales and marketing efforts, Rosetta Genomics and Admera Health are in the process of creating a webinar series aimed at educating pathologists and oncologists about the benefits of their molecular and genomic testing services as a tool to help inform treatment decisions and to potentially improve patient outcomes.

“In addition to building our revenue base, these product launches allow us to leverage our commercial infrastructure and provide our sales representatives with a more complete diagnostic solution for pathologists and oncologists, while accelerating the delivery of sequencing-based genomic tests that offer greater personalized testing options for patients,” stated Kenneth A. Berlin, President and Chief Executive Officer of Rosetta Genomics. “There are inherent synergies with these new products and our existing suite of cancer testing services. Combining Rosetta’s Cancer Origin Test information on tumor type with Admera’s powerful genomic tests provides physicians with clinically relevant and medically actionable information from which to help define their treatment protocols, as opposed to using blind sequencing in the setting of anatomic uncertainty. In cases of known primary cancers, our combined offerings will provide a broader array of testing options to obtain genomic information of value as defined in the guidelines of a variety of cancers, specifically with lung or colon cancer. Consequently, we expect this expanded offering will be well received by pathologists and oncologists.”