Bangalore: Core Diagnostics India has got the exclusive right to market and sell US-based CardioDx's Corus CAD diagnostic test in India. Corus CAD is a noninvasive blood-based gene expression test for the assessment of patients with signs and symptoms suggestive of obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD).

Corus CAD requires just a simple blood draw to conveniently, safely, and reliably help clinicians evaluate the presence of obstructive CAD in stable non-diabetic patients early in the diagnostic pathway. Corus CAD has the potential to reduce patients' exposure to unnecessary invasive and noninvasive procedures.

Under the agreement, Core Diagnostics will make Corus CAD available to patients in India, which has one of the highest rates of CAD in the world and where over $15 billion is spent annually on out-of-pocket healthcare expenses. Blood samples collected from patients in India for Corus CAD testing, will be sent overnight to CardioDx's CLIA-certified laboratory in Palo Alto, California, US, for rapid analysis and turnaround.

"We are very excited about our agreement with Core Diagnostics that will expand the reach of Corus CAD to India and provide those patients with a safe and reliable alternative to traditional imaging and invasive testing methods, which may expose patients to radiation, imaging agent intolerance and other procedure-related risks and complications," said Mr David Levison, president and CEO, CardioDx.

Mr Mohan Uttarwar, CEO, Core Diagnostics, said that, "CardioDx's state-of-the-art Corus CAD gene expression diagnostic test will help us spearhead the personalized medicine movement in India and provide diagnostic technology that is more convenient than current diagnostic tests for CAD. Corus CAD helps physicians accurately and easily determine early in the assessment process whether their patients' symptoms are due to obstructive CAD. This test will help meet the needs of a new generation of patients in India who insist on individualized, best-in-class medical care."