AstraZeneca India, 4baseCare join hands to enhance access to genomic testing for cancer patients in India

AstraZeneca and 4baseCare will work with the oncologist community to support a large number of patients by providing these services locally and also at a low cost, ultimately increasing the chances of identifying optimal treatment options thereby improving clinical outcomes, the startup said in a statement.

Historically, most of these tests were unavailable locally and were imported burdening the cost of treatment.

According to Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) report on the 'Burden of cancers in India', seven leading cancer sites accounted for more than 40 per cent of the total disease burden; lung and breast cancer being the highest. The number of Indians suffering from cancer is projected to increase to 29.8 million in 2025 from 26.7 million in 2021.

Given the advancement of technology in current times, patients have an opportunity to benefit significantly from various new-age strategies including 'Precision Oncology'. It helps provide targeted therapy to patients by identifying which drugs would work best on which patient depending upon the unique biology of a patient's disease.

Genomics-based molecular profiling is the bedrock of targeted therapy and has proved to be a life-saving diagnostics tool as it helps identify the best medical intervention path while treating a patient.

Hitesh Goswami, chief executive officer of 4baseCare, pointed out, "There are 15 lakh new cancer patients diagnosed every year, and more than 60 per cent have advanced-stage cancer that can benefit from targeted therapy. 4baseCare's vision is to make comprehensive genomic profiling as affordable and accessible as doing an MRI or PET scan is expensive. This technology could be used to guide and personalise treatment for every advanced-stage cancer patient".

Anil Kukreja, vice-president for medical affairs and regulatory, AstraZeneca India, added, "AstraZeneca has always been at the forefront of bringing and enhancing access to advanced technology-based solutions for medical and patient benefits. We are committed to pushing the boundaries of science and transforming the lives of patients through the right partnerships."

He added, "Our current collaboration with 4baseCare is advancing this vision and is aimed at integrating the use of advanced comprehensive genomics as a part of regular clinical practice. This will take us a step closer to strengthening the oncology ecosystem in the country thereby providing potential opportunities for improving long-term outcomes significantly".

After doing massive research in collaboration with top hospitals and oncologists from India, 4baseCare had recently launched another gene panel called TARGT IndieGene panel. TARGT Indiegene is India's largest and first population-specific tumor gene panel derived from Whole Exome and Whole Transcriptome data from over 1,500 cancer patients across 28 different cancer types. (ANI)