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Exagen enters second-year agreement with GSK to drive greater awareness about challenges facing lupus diagnosis and management

Albuquerque, NM and San Diego, CA, Jan 02, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) – Exagen, a leader in rheumatology testing, today announced that it has extended its agreement with GSK, one of the world’s leading healthcare companies, to raise awareness of the importance of timely diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), the most common form of lupus. At the center of the program are the proprietary AVISE laboratory tests, which can facilitate early diagnosis and management of SLE, a complex, incurable autoimmune disease. The details of the agreement are confidential.

This agreement follows one that Exagen and GSK entered into last year and will continue to support the shared goal of helping SLE patients shorten time to their diagnosis, which is nearly six years on average, and to facilitate improved patient outcomes.

Ron Rocca, President and CEO of Exagen shared, “We’re pleased to continue working with GSK, which demonstrates our ability to collaborate with major pharmaceutical companies in a shared commitment to improve patients’ lives. Having access to advanced testing like AVISE can support diagnosis, prognosis, and monitoring of challenging conditions like SLE.”

About Exagen’s AVISE laboratory tests

AVISE Connective Tissue Disease (CTD) is a diagnostic test which supports care providers with an accurate assessment of critical biomarkers in patients suspected of SLE or rheumatic conditions with similar symptoms. AVISE CTD uniquely incorporates biologically-relevant CB-CAPs (Cell-Bound Complement Activation Products) into a proprietary algorithm that is associated with the likelihood for the presence of SLE. This amounts to a convenient test for the differential diagnosis of SLE with demonstrated performance of 80% sensitivity and 86% specificity.

  • CB-CAPs provide 22% higher sensitivity for SLE compared to standard complement measures C3 or C4 alone
  • The AVISE CTD test offers 48% greater sensitivity than traditional anti-dsDNA alone
  • Utilization of AVISE CTD has the potential to increase the timeliness and accuracy of SLE diagnosis

AVISE SLE Monitor is a unique combination of six biomarkers that provides important data to assist physicians anytime they assess the condition of a patient with SLE. This test employs proprietary assays including erythrocyte-bound C4d (EC4d) and platelet-bound C4d (PC4d) along with other key markers which have demonstrated significant correlation to SLE disease activity. AVISE SLE Monitor gives the treating care provider an accurate glimpse into the serologic measures of disease activity allowing for a more complete picture of how well a patient’s condition is being managed.

About Cell-Bound Complement Activation Products (CB-CAPs)

CB-CAPs (EC4d, BC4d, & PC4d) are stable biomarkers of complement activation. Exagen measures deposits resulting from activation of the complement system using flow cytometry to quantify C4d which is covalently bound to circulating cells including erythrocytes, B cells, and platelets.

About Exagen

Exagen is a commercial stage life science company that is patient-focused and discovery driven. We serve patients and healthcare providers in the diagnosis, prognosis, and management of autoimmune conditions. By leveraging our patented and validated technologies we help address the underlying cause of a patient’s symptoms and guide their journey to improved health. For more information visit, www.exagen.com or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, or Instagram.

About GSK

GSK – A science-led global healthcare company with a special purpose: to help people do more, feel better, live longer. For further information please visit www.gsk.com/about-us.

Contact:
Brian McEvilly
Exagen
info@exagen.com
760.560.1506

Kamal Adawi
Exagen
ir@exagen.com
760.560.1563