IMI reports development progress on three cancer-detection tests
Tuesday November 12, 11:13 am ET
Tests for colorectal and lung cancer advancing toward commercialization New test for detecting breast cancer in development
TORONTO, Nov. 12 /CNW/ - Predictive medicine company IMI International Medical Innovations Inc. (TSX:IMI - News) today reported progress on its development and clinical testing of the Company's three lead cancer-detection tests that are based on the same marker and core technology: ColorectAlert(TM) for colorectal cancer, LungAlert(TM) for lung cancer and a new test for breast cancer.
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Upon completion of the analysis of studies involving each of the three cancer tests the Company will publicly release the detailed data to coincide with publication or presentation of the findings to the medical community.
ColorectAlert
ColorectAlert is a minimally invasive screening test for colorectal cancer that identifies a cancer-associated sugar in a mucous sample collected at the doctor's office. Unlike the current colorectal cancer screening test (fecal occult blood test - FOBT), ColorectAlert does not require any dietary restrictions by the patient and does not involve handling stool samples. The test is expected to be comparable in cost to FOBT.
In three major studies ColorectAlert has been tested on more than 2,200 samples, including high-risk and low-risk (screening) subjects, and has been compared directly with current standard tests such as FOBT and colonoscopy. The combined results from these studies, led by Dr. Norman Marcon at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto, are being prepared for scientific presentation and publication. Preliminary analysis of the data shows that ColorectAlert detects cancers at all stages, particularly the early stages when the cancer is curable more than 90 per cent of the time.
"With 2,200 samples examined, including both high-risk and screening subjects, we have the confidence in ColorectAlert to begin evaluating options for regulatory submissions in jurisdictions like Canada and Europe, and to begin moving it into a major multi-site screening trial building toward FDA clearance," said Dr. Brent Norton, IMI President and CEO. "We are exploring options for a trial of this scope, including several government-sponsored studies scheduled in 2003."
A health economic study published earlier this year (Canadian Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, Spring 2002) demonstrated that using ColorectAlert as a first-line screening test for colorectal cancer would result in significant savings over FOBT, while detecting 43 per cent more cancers. |
