Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings (LabCorp), a leading healthcare diagnostics company, announced the nationwide availability of the Ventana PD-L1 (SP142) Assay as a complementary diagnostic for Tecentriq (atezolizumab), a new immunotherapy treatment for patients with urothelial cancer, the most common form of bladder cancer in the US.
The test was developed by Roche Diagnostics and was approved on May 18, 2016 by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to identify patients who may benefit from treatment with Genentech’s Tecentriq (atezolizumab). The availability of this important new test demonstrates LabCorp’s commitment to provide world-class diagnostics to physicians and their patients.
“LabCorp is dedicated to improving health and improving lives through the introduction of new tests and by bringing innovative medicines to patients faster,” said David P. King, LabCorp’s chairman and chief executive officer. “LabCorp is particularly focused on the development of immunotherapies and tests that pair with these medicines to change the way care is provided to cancer patients, and we are pleased to be among the first laboratories to offer the Ventana PD-L1 (SP142) assay.”
Bladder cancer is the most common malignancy of the urinary system and the ninth most common form of cancer worldwide. Despite urothelial (transitional cell) cancer being the most common form of bladder cancer in the US, no major new therapies have been introduced for it in the past 30 years. The availability of Tecentriq in combination with the PD-L1 (SP142) test has the potential to significantly improve the treatment of patients diagnosed with this form of cancer. In addition to identifying the PD-L1 protein on tumor infiltrating immune cells, the assay also offers a novel immune cell scoring algorithm that can aid physicians to identify patients for whom treatment with Tecentriq may be the right option.
“LabCorp already offers companion diagnostic and complementary diagnostic tests to help identify patients who may benefit from new, targeted immunotherapies for the treatment of melanoma and lung cancer,” said Dr. Mark Brecher, LabCorp’s chief medical officer. “The PD-L1 (SP142) assay can help change the way care is provided by helping physicians better understand the potential benefits of treatment with Tecentriq for their patients with bladder cancer.”
Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings, an S&P 500 company, is the world’s leading healthcare diagnostics company, providing comprehensive clinical laboratory services through LabCorp Diagnostics, and end-to-end drug development support through Covance Drug Development. LabCorp is a pioneer in commercializing new diagnostic technologies and is improving people’s health by delivering the combination of world-class diagnostics, drug development services and technology-enabled solutions.