After the Idylla test for lung cancer was recognized as best-in-class in a recent study, Biocartis also receives a € 2.5 million grant from the Flemish government.
In a study comparing lung-cancer detection assays, Biocartis’ test came out as best-in-class. The study, carried out by pharma giant AstraZeneca, compared 12 technologies detecting the KRAS-mutation, the most common driver of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The Idylla™ KRAS test belonged to the group of most sensitive tests but completely wiped out the competition in terms of ease-of-use and time-to-result. While the Biocartis test provided results in 2 to 4 hours, alternative methods took 1 day to 3 weeks to complete. The recently published study confirms the status of Idylla™ tests as sensitive, easy to use and lightning fast.
“We are extremely proud with the results of this study organized by a leading global pharmaceutical company like AstraZeneca,” responds CEO Rudi Pauwels. “This is the broadest comparison study conducted by an external party on Idylla™ performance to date with respect to the number of different technologies applied on one sample set. It demonstrates that with the Idylla™ technology, we can truly combine the advantages of point-of-care testing in terms of ease-of-use and speed with the performance that one would expect from technologies used in reference laboratories. As such, the Idylla™ technology has the potential to make rapid molecular diagnostic testing available in any routine diagnostic lab setting – large or small.”
Investors responded enthusiastically to the news and propelled the company’s stock price 20% higher.
And that wasn’t even all of the good news. The Flemish government announced that it would support Biocartis with a € 2.5 million grant. Biocartis will use the funds for the expansion of their manufacturing capacity. At the moment, Biocartis produces 200.000 to 250.000 Idylla™ tests each year. The new production line, expected to be operational in 2017, will crank up production to 1 million tests produced annually. The investment will also create about 100 jobs in the coming 5 years.
