Two recent surveys conducted by an independent, third-party research group validated the market demand for VisionGate’s LuCED test as well as its recently licensed drug therapy, Iloprost, in the diagnosis and treatment of patients at risk of lung cancer.
LuCED, represented as “Product X” in surveys among 100 pulmonologists, is a non-invasive test to aid in the early detection of lung cancer. To date, LuCED has also demonstrated the ability to detect dysplasia, a condition that often precedes lung cancer. The results of the survey showed that 60 percent of pulmonologists would use VisionGate’s LuCED test today based on current clinical evidence. Reasons cited included LuCED’s current sensitivity (92-95 percent for early stage lung cancer) and specificity (99 percent), avoidance of radiation, convenience and the non-invasive method of testing.
With regard to use, 38 percent of physicians would use LuCED as the primary screening tool if it were available today (and reimbursement was available); 30 percent would screen all patients with both low-dose CT scans (LDCT) and LuCED, 24 percent would give patients the option of using either LDCT or LuCED and 8 percent would continue to use LDCT as the primary screening tool.
Another area of interest among the pulmonologists surveyed was preventative medicine, or chemoprevention drug therapies that help reverse the disease process before it advances to life-threatening cancer.
In January, VisionGate announced it had acquired exclusive rights to the chemoprevention drug Iloprost. Overall, 72 percent of the pulmonologists surveyed found Iloprost attractive in the future treatment of endobronchial dysplasia.
Furthermore, assuming both Iloprost and reimbursement were available today, respondents would use oral Iloprost as a chemoprevention agent for 50 percent of their CMS-defined, high-risk patients with dysplasia, 50 percent of other high-risk patients and 48 percent of lung cancer survivor patients with dysplasia.
“The survey results confirm what we had anticipated – that the LuCED diagnostic test combined with our Iloprost drug therapy will deliver a much-needed impact in the standard of care for lung cancer,” VisionGate Founder and CEO Alan Nelson, PhD, said. “The optimism from the pulmonologist community demonstrates their commitment to early detection and an openness to our test + treat (Dx/Rx) model.”
