Foundation Medicine Announces Strategic Collaboration with Major Pharmaceutical Company

On October 17, 2018 Foundation Medicine, Inc. reported a strategic collaboration with Novartis allowing the development of companion diagnostic (CDx) tests for the Novartis portfolio of targeted oncology and immuno-oncology therapeutics (Press release, Foundation Medicine, OCT 17, 2018, View Source [SID1234529950]). The collaboration structure allows for multiple therapy programs and includes development, regulatory support and commercialization of CDx tests for inclusion on FoundationOne CDx. FoundationOne CDx is Foundation Medicine’s FDA-approved comprehensive genomic profiling (CGP) assay for all solid tumors that incorporates multiple companion diagnostics.

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"It is imperative that we collaborate with all of the key stakeholders in oncology to accelerate patient access to personalized medicine," said Melanie Nallicheri, chief business officer and head of biopharma at Foundation Medicine. "Novartis shares this mission and we look forward to working with them to develop companion diagnostics across multiple therapies. This collaboration reaffirms our commitment to expedite biomarker-driven development and ultimately bring more personalized treatment options to patients."

The agreement also allows for global expansion in ex-US markets including Japan, where in partnership with Chugai, Foundation Medicine has submitted FoundationOne CDx for regulatory approval from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW). If approved in Japan, FoundationOne CDx would enable access to MHLW-approved targeted therapies and immunotherapies, as well as clinical trials, for patients with cancer in Japan.