By : Nahla Makled
Hikma Pharmaceuticals PLC (Hikma), the multinational pharmaceutical company, today announces an exclusive agreement with Guardant Health, Inc., a leading precision oncology company. Through the agreement, Hikma has the exclusive rights for commercialisation and marketing of Guardant Health’s portfolio of liquid and tissue biopsy tests for cancer screening, recurrence monitoring and tumor mutation profiling across all solid cancers in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).
The tests offered include Shield™ for cancer screening and early detection, Guardant Reveal™ for minimal residual disease detection and recurrence monitoring and Guardant360® and Guardant360 TissueNext™ for comprehensive genomic profiling (CGP) across all solid cancers.
Cancer cases in the MENA are estimated to double by the year 2040. This agreement will enable patients in the MENA to have access to high-quality, next-generation sequencing (NGS) solutions, which can help identify and monitor cancer cases earlier and enable patients across the region to get the best care possible.
Commenting on this agreement, Mazen Darwazah, Hikma’s Executive Vice Chairman and President of MENA said: “Our partnership with Guardant Health adds next-generation sequencing diagnostics that can potentially transform cancer care in MENA bringing hope to patients facing this challenging journey. We are excited to partner with Guardant Health, as their offering can help patients at all stages of the disease – from screening to monitoring cancer recurrence to guiding treatment decisions. As a leading healthcare company in MENA with a robust oncology portfolio encompassing generics, biologics, immunotherapy, and cutting-edge innovations, Hikma is committed to advancing precision medicine for improved treatment outcomes in patients with cancer."
Simranjit Singh, Guardant Health AMEA CEO, said: “Guardant Health is excited to partner with Hikma and leverage their strong commercial capabilities and regional expertise to equip oncologists in MENA with the necessary tools for cancer screening, recurrence monitoring and guiding treatment selection. Guardant Health is committed to improving patient outcomes globally by offering next-generation sequencing tests across all stages of the disease. Today, an increasing number of patients with cancer are being detected at the advanced stage, making it more crucial to match these patients to appropriate therapies in a timely manner. Ultimately, our goal is to make cancer screening easy and effective so that we can detect cancer earlier when it's most treatable.”
