Collaboration to Focus on Women’s Health Diagnostic Solutions

Two companies have entered into a collaboration that will feature the national availability of a cervical cancer-screening test in addition to developing and expanding access to diagnostic solutions for women’s health.

Quest Diagnostics (Madison, N.J. USA), a global diagnostic information services company, and Hologic, Inc. (Bedford, MA, USA), a developer, manufacturer, and supplier of diagnostics products, medical imaging systems, and surgical products, with an emphasis on serving the healthcare needs of women, have entered into a strategic alliance to more broadly offer testing based on Hologic’s Aptima range of products, as well as to codevelop and promote advanced diagnostic solutions to improve women's health.

Under the nonexclusive agreement, which has an initial term of five years, the companies will focus primarily on clinical areas critical to the health of women. Quest Diagnostics will develop a broader offering of services based on Hologic’s Aptima family of products, which includes US Food and Drug Administration (FDA; Silver Spring, MD, USA)-approved or cleared assays for human papillomavirus (HPV), HPV genotyping, Chlamydia, gonorrhea, and Trichomonas vaginalis. In addition, Quest Diagnostics will continue to utilize Hologic's leading line of ThinPrep liquid-based cytology products.

Quest Diagnostics will also continue to offer Hologic’s Aptima HPV mRNA-based assay nationally. The Aptima HPV assay detects messenger RNA overexpressed from two viral oncogenes that are integral to the development of cervical cancer. Hologic’s Aptima HPV assay detects E6/E7 viral mRNA from 14 high-risk types of human papillomavirus in cervical specimens.

The companies will also explore opportunities to develop and expand access to new diagnostic solutions for women’s health. In addition, they will implement joint programs to advance women’s health issues with medical associations and patient advocacy groups and to sponsor research. Financial terms of the collaboration were not disclosed.

“Our relationship with Hologic also demonstrates our progress executing on our restore growth and operational excellence strategies,” said Mr. Rusckowski, Quest’s CEO. “With this alliance, we will strengthen the specialization and competitiveness of our women's health business. We are also working more closely and strategically with suppliers, and this alliance is the first under our new, highly rigorous supplier engagement model, which we unveiled at our first ever Supplier Forum in March.”

Related Links:
Quest Diagnostics
Hologic
US Food and Drug Administration