NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) – Saladax Biomedical today said that it will offer its My5-FU assay as part of its MyCare service offering later this year after regaining marketing rights to the test from Myriad Genetics.
The Bethlehem, Pa.-based firm said that it would begin offering the assay, which is used to help guide optimized dosing of infusional 5-fluorouracil to patients, later this year when its CLIA lab commences operations in June. 5-FU is used to treat several types of cancers.
The test has been offered in the US by Myriad Genetics under the trade name OnDose. Myriad will continue to promote and sell the test through June, said Saladax.
Last week on a conference call following the release of Myriad's second-quarter financial results, Mark Capone, president of Myriad Genetic Labs, disclosed that the company had decided to return the rights to OnDose to Saladax.
"While we continue to believe the market potential for OnDose, the opportunity costs, including prospective clinical studies relative to our anticipated returns did not meet our return on investment threshold," Capone said.
"With the creation of the Saladax Biomedical Laboratories, cancer patients in the US can be better served with a single source for all oncology dose management testing services," Saladax President and CEO Kevin Harter said in a statement.
Saladax said that when its CLIA lab launches it will offer the My5-FU test along with its MyPaclitaxel and MyDocetaxel tests. It also intends to expand to an additional 10 oncology dose-management assays.