바이오스펙테이터

바이오스펙테이터 Sungmin Kim 기자

The market expansion of Earlytect, a colorectal cancer in vitro molecular diagnostic kit, from April to hospitals, medical examination centers and semi-general hospitals ...Expecting '1,000 to 30,000'

Genomictree, a biomarker-based cancer early diagnosis company, said they signed an agreement on March 23rd to cooperate in marketing and sales of "EarlyTect® Colon Cancer", an in vitro molecular diagnosis test kit of a fecal biomarker (Syndecan-2), with Daewoong Pharmaceutical. The company announced that they will begin full-scale sales activities on April 1.

Through the agreement, Genomictree will focus on marketing of Earlytect® colorectal cancer diagnostic kits for medical examination centers and semi-general hospitals based on the expertise they have built up in the sales activities, while Daewoong Pharmaceutical will be in charge of sales and marketing of hospitals as they have the best sales capacity of hospitals in Korea.

A noninvasive in-vitro molecular diagnostic kit based on high-performance biomarkers, Earlytect®C measures methylated Syndecan-2 from fecal DNA, which makes available to diagnose colorectal cancer at a sensitivity and specificity of 90.2% (doi: 10.1186/s13148-019-0642-0). In particular, the diagnosis sensitivity for colorectal cancer from stage 0 to stage 2 was 89.1%.

Since its launch in April of last year, testing services have been provided at the Severance Check-Up Center and at about 1,000 hospitals and clinics nationwide to date. With this agreement between these two companies, it is expected to be expanded rapidly through Daewoong Pharma’s hospital network of more than 30,000

"We are pleased to sign a joint promotion agreement with Daewoong Pharmaceutical, which has a strong sales and marketing infrastructure in hospitals, especially strong in the field of digestive medicines" said CEO Ahn Sung-hwan of Genomic Tree. "And this agreement will once again serve as an opportunity for both companies to contribute to the national health through early diagnostic activities for colorectal cancer with early colorectal cancer diagnostic kits."

"It is meaningful to be in charge of sales and marketing for the hospital of Earlytect®C, which opened a new paradigm for colorectal cancer diagnosis," said Jun Seung-ho, CEO of Daewoong Pharmaceutical Co. "We hope that the agreement will create synergy by combining the strengths of the two companies, and based on Daewoong Pharmaceutical's four-step marketing strategy of differentiated verifications, we will do our best to create an early screening environment for colorectal cancer by expanding the Earlytect®C service to many more medical institutions".

Meanwhile Genomictree is a biomarker-based cancer early diagnosis company, which is recognized for its diagnostic skills and is leading the field of cancer diagnosis through early colorectal cancer testing with Earlytect. Currently, they are in the process of approving for lung cancer in vitro diagnostic kits with the Korean Food and Drug Administration (KFDA), while early diagnostic kits for bladder cancer are undergoing clinical trials.

Meanwhile, a representative company that develops an early diagnosis kit for colon cancer is Exact Sciences of the United States, and last year, Cologuard sold 810 million sales with a single product.