Highmark Blue Shield Will Make Metamark Assays Available to Enrollees

Massachusetts-based Metamark Genetics has reached a deal with Highmark Blue Shield to make its urology assays available to its enrollees. The agreement with Highmark provides Metamark’s tests to 5.2 million enrollees in Delaware, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Metamark’s ProMark assay uses tissue biopsies to determine treatment options for patients who have been diagnosed with prostate cancer. The test focuses on patients with intermediate Gleason scores where it may be difficult to chart a specific course of action, and it can determine more than 90 percent of the time whether the prostate cancer is indolent and would be best treated through watchful waiting, or aggressive and should be addressed through an immediate intervention. Metamark made the test available to clinicians last year after completing validation studies. In addition to Promark, Metamark also distributes the Progensa PCA3 assay, a urine-based molecular test developed by Hologic that provides additional confirmation to men who have already had several negative biopsies. “There is increasing awareness among payers regarding the potential for new diagnostic tools to improve patient care and decrease health care costs,” said Metamark Chief Executive Officer Shawn Marcell in a statement. “Metamark is at the forefront of this transformation, taking a comprehensive approach to the disease that combines our deep uropathology expertise with tests that help urologists to make more personalized treatment decisions for their patients. We ... look forward to working with Highmark to expand availability of Metamark’s novel tests.” Takeaway: Metamark’s prostate cancer assay is making inroads into the commercial payer market.