Posted: 11 September 2023
Genetic Technologies Limited (ASX: GTG; NASDAQ: GENE, “Company”, “GTG”), a global leader in genomics-based tests in health, wellness and serious disease, is pleased to announce that the expanded geneType Multi-Risk Test is now available to order in Australia. GTG announced the launch of the expanded test in the U.S., to include three new diseases, in March 2023. The three new diseases, Pancreatic Cancer, Melanoma, and Atrial Fibrillation, were approved for sale in Australia by the National Association of Testing Authority (NATA). The geneType Multi-Risk Test now performs a total of nine individual serious disease risk assessments, all from the one simple saliva sample.
The risk assessment panel focuses on Oncology, Cardiovascular and Metabolic diseases:
- Breast Cancer;
- Ovarian Cancer
- Pancreatic Cancer
- Prostate Cancer;
- Melanoma;
- Colorectal Cancer;
- Diabetes;
- Coronary Artery Disease; and
- Atrial Fibrillation.
The granting of this approval by NATA follows the approval in March this year by Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS) to sell the expanded panel in the USA.
The expanded Multi-test panel caters for most ethnicities over the age of 301. Each of the new diseases recently approved cause significant mortality and morbidity. According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, in 2023 there will be approximately 10,639 new cases of melanoma, Australia’s third most diagnosed cancer. The estimates for pancreatic cancer are even more dire, in Australia in, 2023 it is estimated that 2,355 people will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and a staggering 87% of these people will die. In both cases, identifying people at increased risk provides an opportunity for early diagnosis and early intervention, leading to a significant improvement in patient outcomes, extending life expectancy, and saving lives. In the case of atrial fibrillation (AFib), surveys and studies on sections of the Australian population suggest that AFib affects approximately 2% of the general population, equivalent to more than 500,000 people.
GTG’s CEO, Simon Morriss said, “Obtaining approval to sell the expanded version of Multitest in Australia highlights GTG’s ability to deliver on our commitment to being a world leader in delivering personalised risk assessments to enable preventative healthcare for a range of serious diseases”.
