Blood
Oxford BioDynamics Shares Rise on Deal With Bupa to Provide Smart Blood Test
Oct
By Joe Hoppe
Oxford BioDynamics shares rose after it said customers of U.K. private health insurer Bupa will be offered its smart blood test, the EpiSwitch checkpoint inhibitor response test.
Shares at 0734 GMT were up 6.5 pence, or 20% at 39.5 pence.
The U.K. biotechnology company said Wednesday that the strategic agreement with Bupa significantly enhances access to checkpoint inhibitor response tests in the U.K. The test accurately predicts the response of a cancer patient to immune checkpoint inhibitor treatment, providing benefits for physicians in treatment planning and navigating complex decisions, it said.
While immune checkpoint inhibitors offer hope of durable disease control for some patients, they are costly, offer a long-term survival advantage to less than one in four patients, and many become seriously ill and require hospital admission. The EpiSwitch test will spare many individuals from unwarranted side effects from treatments that are ineffective for them, the company said.
“Gaining reimbursement from the U.K.’s leading health insurer is another milestone for the company, as well as for BUPA customers and their doctors,” Chief Executive Jon Burrows said.
Write to Joe Hoppe at [email protected]
