Country for PR: Hong Kong
Contributor: PR Newswire Asia (Hong Kong)
Monday, March 14 2022 - 19:24
AsiaNet
Guardant Health Receives Regulatory Approval for Guardant360 CDx in Japan
TOKYO, Mar. 14, 2022 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/--

Guardant360(R) CDx is a comprehensive genomic profiling test which utilizes 
blood samples from patients with advanced solid cancers

The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) has granted regulatory 
approval of Guardant360(R) CDx, a liquid biopsy test for tumor mutation 
profiling, also known as comprehensive genomic profiling (CGP), in patients 
with advanced solid cancers. The Guardant360 CDx test was also granted approval 
as a companion diagnostic to identify patients with microsatellite 
instability-high (MSI-High) solid tumors who may benefit from Keytruda(R) 
(pembrolizumab) and patients with MSI-High advanced colorectal cancer (CRC) who 
may benefit from Opdivo9(R)  (nivolumab). This regulatory approval has taken on 
an added significance as CRC is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in Japan1. 
Guardant360 CDx is offered by Guardant Health Japan, a precision oncology 
company based in Tokyo which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Guardant Health 
Asia, Middle East & Africa (AMEA).

Additionally, in December 2021, MHLW granted regulatory approval of the 
Guardant360 CDx liquid biopsy test as a companion diagnostic for identifying 
patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who may benefit 
from treatment with LUMAKRAS(TM) (sotorasib), a KRAS G12C inhibitor developed 
and manufactured by Amgen.

"We are delighted to receive regulatory approval in Japan for the Guardant360 
CDx test. We strongly believe that our liquid biopsy test will help to enhance 
the quality of cancer management in Japan by offering tumor mutation profiling 
and companion diagnostics for therapies in patients whose tumors have KRAS G12C 
or MSI-High status. One of the key benefits of our liquid biopsy test is that 
it enables physicians to match patients to appropriate treatment quickly 
without the complications and delays of a tissue biopsy," said Simranjit Singh, 
Chief Executive Officer of Guardant Health AMEA and Representative Director of 
Guardant Health Japan.

"Guardant Health Japan is dedicated to bringing innovative and comprehensive 
liquid biopsy tests such as Guardant360 CDx to Japan so that patients with 
advanced stage cancer can benefit from genomic profiling information. This 
regulatory approval has been made possible because of the collaborations we 
have with leading cancer experts in Japan. We are strongly committed to serving 
Japanese patients and physicians, and this is the first of many products in the 
Guardant portfolio which we plan to roll out in the near future," said Gen 
Asano, General Manager of Guardant Health Japan.

With just a simple blood draw from the patient, the Guardant360 CDx test helps 
guide treatment decisions for patients with advanced stage cancer. Having 
secured this regulatory approval, Guardant Health Japan aims to drive clinical 
adoption of liquid biopsy testing in Japan and enable more patients to receive 
potentially life-changing precision medicines.

About Guardant Health Japan

Guardant Health Japan is a wholly owned subsidiary of Guardant Health AMEA, 
Inc., a joint venture between SoftBank and Guardant Health, Inc., a leading 
precision oncology company focused on helping conquer cancer globally through 
use of its proprietary blood tests, vast data sets and advanced analytics. The 
Guardant Health oncology platform is designed to leverage its capabilities in 
technology, clinical development, regulatory and reimbursement to drive 
commercial adoption, improve patient clinical outcomes and lower healthcare 
costs. Visit us online at https://guardanthealthjapan.com.

About Guardant360(R) CDx

Guardant360(R) CDx is Guardant Health's comprehensive liquid biopsy test which 
helps guide treatment decisions for patients with advanced stage cancer. It is 
a leading next generation sequencing test in the U.S. that analyzes circulating 
tumor DNA (ctDNA). ctDNA is produced when tumors shed small pieces of their 
genetic material into the bloodstream. Traces of this ctDNA can be detected in 
the blood using digital sequencing technology. Guardant360 CDx was the first 
liquid biopsy to receive approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration 
(FDA) in August 2020 for comprehensive tumor mutation profiling across all 
solid cancers.

Reference

1. GLOBOCAN 2020 statistics available at 
https://gco.iarc.fr/today/data/factsheets/populations/392-japan-fact-sheets.pdf 
accessed on 17 February 2022

SOURCE:  Guardant Health
Translations

Japanese