Industry Buzz: CardioDx Releases More Studies Validating Economic Utility of Its Corus CAD Test

CardioDx, the California-based molecular laboratory that develops and distributes tests that assess a patient’s risk for coronary artery disease, has issued a new study regarding how its Corus CAD assay impacts the clinical decisions of physicians. The test assesses a patient’s likelihood of having obstructive coronary artery disease when they are suffering suspect chest pains. CardioDx has touted the assay as a lower-cost and less-invasive replacement for diagnostic procedures such as a cardiac angiography, which requires a catheterization and can cost thousands of dollars. And the company has been particularly aggressive in providing research that promotes the cost benefit of undergoing the test. According to research of nine primary care physicians preparing diagnostic workups of 251 patients who underwent a Corus CAD test, 58 percent modified their diagnostic strategy. Among those patients who scored lower on the test for developing coronary artery disease, 60 percent experienced a reduction in further cardiac testing. Fifty-seven percent of those patients who had further testing reduced were female, an eyebrow-raising statistic since women at risk for cardiac conditions tend to be less symptomatic than men. The study’s results were recently published in the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine. The results of the test follow on the heels of another study undertaken by CardioDx that concludes the use of the Corus CAD test reduced diagnostic costs an average of 9.4 percent—a cut that could save larger health plans millions of dollars a year. That study was also recently published in an academic journal, Population Management. “The . . . trial adds to previous studies of clinical utility in cardiology and highlights the ease with which the test can be integrated into everyday primary care practice for internists and family medicine physicians,” said Mark Monane, M.D., CardioDx’s chief medical officer. “As a personalized, advanced genomic test, Corus CAD is helping primary care clinicians accurately and efficiently determine whether or not their patients need further cardiac evaluation.” Takeaway: CardioDX continues to tout the economic benefits of its tests through its deployment in clinical studies.