NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) – Australian biomarker-based diagnostic firm Healthlinx today announced a distribution deal to begin offering its OvPlex test in India in the third quarter.
The deal between Healthlinx and distribution partners Inex Innovations Exchange and Metropolis Healthcare will make OvPlex, an ovarian cancer diagnostic test, available initially in Mumbai beginning Aug. 1, with expansion into other major Indian cities in the months to follow.
The launch of OvPlex into India follows "excellent market acceptance and growth in Singapore and Malaysia," where the test has been available since late 2010, Healthlinx said, adding that it and Inex are investigating the possibility of getting the test reimbursed by private insurers in India.
OvPlex is a five-biomarker panel that was originally launched in Australia in 2008. Healthlinx has started a second larger study for the test, aiming to prove a diagnostic accuracy of more than 97 percent for early-stage ovarian cancer, the company said. The study will be based on 1,150 new samples and includes two new biomarkers, AGR2 and HTX010.
Inex, based in Singapore, develops and distributes medical devices and diagnostics. Indian firm Metropolis has 85 diagnostic centers and collection centers in India, Sri Lanka, South Africa, and the Middle East.