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AmoyDx, AstraZeneca Strike Ovarian Cancer Companion Diagnostic Alliance

NEW YORK — Chinese diagnostics firm AmoyDx said on Friday that it has partnered with AstraZeneca to develop a companion diagnostic for use in treating ovarian cancer patients with homologous recombination deficiency (HRD).

Specific terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The alliance follows the November announcement that the companies had agreed to collaborate on the development of molecular diagnostics for gynecological indications including ones characterized by HRD. Earlier that year, the US Food and Drug Administration approved olaparib (AstraZeneca and Merck's Lynparza) for use in combination with bevacizumab (Genentech's Avastin) as a maintenance regimen for advanced HRD-positive ovarian cancer patients who are responding to first-line platinum-based chemotherapy. 

AmoyDx and AstraZeneca have worked together on a number of other cancer-related projects, including a BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutation detection kit, which can be used as a companion diagnostic for olaparib and received Chinese regulatory approval in early 2019.

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