Quest Diagnostics Acquires Maker of InSure® Colorectal Cancer Screening Test
09/07/2006
LYNDHURST, N.J. -- Quest Diagnostics Incorporated, a provider of diagnostic testing, information and services, announced that it has completed the acquisition of Enterix, Inc., the privately held Australian-based company that developed and manufactures the InSure® Fecal Immunochemical Test (F.I.T.), an FDA-cleared test for use in screening for colorectal cancer and other sources of lower gastrointestinal bleeding, for approximately $43 million in cash. Additional terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
In May 2003, Quest Diagnostics entered into an initial agreement with Enterix to sell the InSure F.I.T. in the U.S. on an exclusive basis. By acquiring Enterix, Quest Diagnostics assumes ownership of the intellectual property for the InSure F.I.T. test as well as future generations of the test, including InSure II, a version of the test that can be performed in doctors' offices, which recently received 510(k) clearance from the FDA.
InSure F.I.T. offers several important benefits over traditional guaiac-based fecal occult blood testing. Studies show that the InSure assay is an accurate alternative to traditional guaiac-based fecal occult blood testing. InSure F.I.T. eliminates false positive test results due to the interference from certain foods such as red meat or the use of common medications including aspirin. In addition, the InSure test provides for easy specimen collection using a long-handled brush to gently brush the surface of the stool and then collect the surrounding toilet water by dabbing it onto a card.
Email this article
Add a comment
Printer version
Order reprints
RSS Feed
Bookmark article