Item 1. Business
Item 1. BUSINESS
Overview and Mission
We are a leading genetic testing and precision medicine company dedicated to advancing health and well-being for all. We provide insights that help people take control of their health and enable healthcare providers to better detect, treat, and prevent disease. We develop and offer tests that help assess the risk of developing disease or disease progression and guide treatment decisions across medical specialties where genetic insights can significantly improve patient care and lower health care costs.
Our Business Strategy
Personalized genetic data, digital, and virtual consumer trends are converging to change traditional models of care. We believe significant growth opportunities exist to help patient populations with pressing health care needs through innovative genetic and precision medicine solutions and services. Our focus is on organic growth, deployment of capital, including through opportunistic acquisitions, and the launch of new products. We are focusing our efforts in three key areas where we have specialized products, capabilities, and expertise: Oncology, Women's Health, and Mental Health. We believe our path to organic growth is driven by articulating our clinical differentiation, advancing a new commercial model in our Oncology and Women's Health businesses to reach a broader set of physicians and patients, raising awareness with patients who we believe would benefit from testing, and innovation that improves clinical outcomes, ease of use, and access. By investing in tech-enabled commercial tools, new laboratory facilities, and advanced automation, we believe we will be able to reduce complexity and cost. With a foundation of financial, commercial, operational, and technological strength, we plan to launch new products and capabilities in 2023, such as our unified ordering portal, FirstGene, and, on a research use only basis, Precise minimal residual disease (MRD), which we expect will help accelerate our growth. We intend to develop and enhance our products to support growth, improve patient and provider experience, and reach more patients of all backgrounds. We are committed to disciplined management of a key set of initiatives to fulfill our mission and drive long-term growth and profitability.
Testing
Our tests are designed to analyze genes and their expression levels to assess an individual’s risk for developing disease, determine a patient’s likelihood of responding to a particular drug, assess a patient’s risk of disease progression, or identify factors which could lead to serious conditions in pregnancy. We focus our efforts in the following three key areas where we have specialized products, capabilities, and expertise:
Oncology: Clarifying cancer treatment with genetic insights and companion diagnostic tests that are designed to work with corresponding drugs and treatments.
Women's Health: Providing genetic insights for women of all ancestries, assessing cancer risk, and offering prenatal testing solutions.
Mental Health: Providing genetic insights to help physicians understand how genetic alterations impact patient response to anti-depressants and other drugs.
The following tests are included in the key areas outlined above:
Oncology Women's Health Mental Health
MyRisk MyRisk GeneSight
BRACAnalysis CDx Prequel
MyChoice CDx Foresight
Prolaris SneakPeek
EndoPredict
Precise Tumor
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Descriptions of our tests are as follows:
MyRisk™ Hereditary Cancer Test: DNA sequencing test for assessing the risks for hereditary cancers. Our MyRisk test is designed to determine a patient’s hereditary cancer risk for breast, ovarian, colorectal, endometrial, melanoma, pancreatic, prostate, and gastric cancers. The test analyzes 48 separate genes to look for deleterious mutations that put a patient at a substantially higher risk than the general population for developing one or more of these cancers. All 48 genes in the panel are well documented in clinical literature for the role they play in hereditary cancer and have been shown to have actionable clinical interventions for the patient to facilitate earlier cancer detection, lower disease risk or reduce risk of cancer recurrence. The MyRisk Genetic Test Result and MyRisk Management Tool ® summarize medical society guidelines for managing a patient with a genetic mutation in view of their personal and family history of cancer. MyRisk also includes RiskScore ® for all ancestries. RiskScore incorporates the patient’s own clinical risk factors, family history, and unique genetic, ancestry-informed breast cancer risk markers and provides a personalized five-year and lifetime assessment of the risk of developing breast cancer—regardless of ancestry.
BRACAnalysis CDx ® Germline Companion Diagnostic Test: DNA sequencing test to help determine the most beneficial therapy for patients with metastatic breast, ovarian, metastatic pancreatic, or metastatic prostate cancer with deleterious or suspected deleterious germline BRCA variants. Results of our BRACAnalysis CDx test are used as an aid to identify patients who are eligible for treatment with U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved poly-ADP ribose polymerase (PARP) inhibitors. Currently, we are the only laboratory with an FDA-approved test for this indication and have received approvals from the FDA in ovarian cancer, metastatic breast cancer, pancreatic cancer, and advanced prostate cancer. The test is an in vitro diagnostic device intended for the qualitative detection and classification of variants in the protein coding regions and intron/exon boundaries of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes using genomic DNA obtained from whole blood specimens collected in ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA).
MyChoice ® CDx Companion Diagnostic Test: tumor test that determines homologous recombination deficiency (HRD) status in patients with ovarian cancer. This FDA-approved test helps provide information on the magnitude of benefit for PARP inhibitor therapy. HRD status is determined using two independent methods: BRCA1 and BRCA2 status that encompasses sequence variants and large rearrangements, and Genomic Instability Status (GIS) encompassing loss of heterozygosity, telomeric allelic imbalance, and large-scale state transitions across the entire genome. We believe that the combination of these methods is a more comprehensive way to measure HRD status, versus either one alone.
Prolaris ® Prostate Cancer Prognostic Test: RNA expression tumor analysis for assessing the aggressiveness of prostate cancer. Our Prolaris test is a gene expression assay that assesses whether a patient is likely to have a slow growing, indolent form of prostate cancer that can be safely monitored through active surveillance, or a more aggressive form of the disease that may warrant aggressive intervention such as a radical prostatectomy or radiation therapy. The Prolaris test was developed to improve physicians’ ability to predict disease outcome and thereby to optimize patient treatment.
EndoPredict ® Breast Cancer Prognostic Test: RNA expression test for assessing the aggressiveness of breast cancer. The EndoPredict test is a next-generation RNA expression test used to determine which women with breast cancer may benefit from chemotherapy. EndoPredict predicts the likelihood of metastases to help guide treatment decisions for chemotherapy and extended endocrine therapy. EndoPredict has been shown to accurately predict risk of distant recurrence in Her 2-, ER+, node negative, and node positive breast cancer patients with no confusing intermediate results in 13 published clinical studies with more than 2,200 patients and is Conformitè Europëenne (CE) marked, which signifies European certification for clinical use.
Precise™ Tumor Molecular Profile Test: a tumor profile test offered as part of Precise™ Oncology Solutions, a comprehensive solution for advanced precision oncology . Precise ™ Oncology Solutions combines our leading germline hereditary cancer tests (MyRisk/BRACAnalysis CDx), our HRD companion diagnostic test (MyChoice CDx), and a comprehensive genetic tumor panel performed by Intermountain Precision Genomics, a service of Intermountain Healthcare. We believe Precise Oncology Solutions will help providers determine a clear, integrated, and personalized treatment plan for patients with cancer.
Prequel ® Prenatal Screen: a non-invasive prenatal screening (NIPS) test conducted using maternal blood to screen for severe chromosomal disorders in a fetus. The Prequel test uses whole genome sequencing to assess for trisomies and monosomies in all 23 chromosomal pairs including the sex chromosomes, along with microdeletions associated with common genetic diseases. Prequel has a low test failure rate at less than 1 in 1,000 patients and has been validated in multiple clinical studies to be highly accurate. Prequel uses AMPLIFY™ technology that raises NIPS test performance most significantly for the types of patients who have traditionally had test failures on standard NIPS tests due to certain clinical factors. AMPLIFY is the only NIPS technology that substantially reduces low fetal fraction test failures in order to allow for equity in care across all patients, regardless of body mass index (BMI), race, or ethnicity.
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Foresight ® Carrier Screen: a prenatal test for future parents to assess their risk of passing on a recessive genetic condition to their offspring. The Foresight test screens for carrier status of up to 176 genes associated with serious and prevalent inherited conditions. The test has been shown to have a detection rate of 99% across all ethnicities. Studies have shown that with prior knowledge of recessive genetic conditions, 76% of patients took preventive actions such as in-vitro fertilization with pre-implantation genetic testing to reduce the risk of having an affected offspring.
SneakPeek ® Early Gender DNA Test: a non-invasive blood test that predicts the gender of a fetus as early as six weeks. Innovative cell free DNA technology and precise algorithms in the SneakPeek test are used to screen for a single, Y chromosome marker in the material blood sample. If Y chromosome markers are found in the mother's blood, the baby is male. If no Y chromosome markers are detected, the baby is female. The SneakPeek test is able to determine fetal sex as early as six weeks of gestation with 99% accuracy.
GeneSight ® Psychotropic Mental Health Medication Test: DNA genotyping test to aid psychotropic drug selection for patients suffering from depression, anxiety, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and other mental health conditions. The GeneSight test provides healthcare professionals with information about which medications may require dose adjustments, may be less likely to work for a patient, or may have an increased risk of side effects based on a patient's genetic makeup. Genesight covers 64 medications commonly prescribed for depression, anxiety, ADHD, and other psychiatric conditions. Because genes influence the way a person’s body responds to specific medications, the medications may work differently for each person. Using DNA gathered with a simple cheek swab, the GeneSight test analyzes a patient’s genes and provides individualized information to help healthcare providers select medications that better match the patient’s genetic variations. Multiple clinical studies have shown that when clinicians used the GeneSight test to help guide treatment decisions in major depressive disorders, patients were more likely to respond to treatment compared to standard of care.
Sales and Marketing
We sell our tests primarily through our own sales force and marketing efforts in the United States, Japan, Germany, and France, and we service additional global accounts through indirect sales channels. Our U.S. sales force is comprised of approximately 500 individuals across our dedicated sales channels. We continue to optimize our sales and marketing channels through increased digital marketing, direct to patient marketing, enhanced virtual sales tools, and inside sales teams to drive efficiency in our sales model. For example, in 2022, we focused more on digital engagement and inside sales with our GeneSight test, which contributed to 36% year-over-year growth in product revenue. Our inside sales team focuses on a broader base of leads, freeing up the field sales team to target high potential clinical leads. We plan to integrate elements of this new sales and marketing model into our Women's Health channels and eventually into our other product lines, which we believe can be more cost effective in terms of customer acquisition costs. Additionally, our recent acquisition of Gateway Genomics, LLC (Gateway), which offers a home-test prenatal kit, may provide us with greater direct to consumer access and create opportunities to cross-sell our other Women's Health products. We believe we will be better able to execute on our strategies and fulfill our mission by engaging with providers and patients in new ways.
Research and Development
Our products stem from expert and innovative investigation into the biological underpinnings of serious human disease. We plan to continue to use our proprietary DNA sequencing and RNA expression technologies, including our supporting bioinformatics and robotic technologies, in an effort to efficiently discover and validate important biomarkers. We embed these biomarkers along with relevant clinical information in complex, proprietary tests that are highly accurate and informative, and intended to help physicians better manage their patients’ health care. We believe that our technologies provide us with a significant competitive advantage and the potential for the continued development of numerous product opportunities. For the year ended December 31, 2022, the year ended December 31, 2021, the six-month transition period ended December 31, 2020, and the fiscal year ended June 30, 2020, we incurred research and development expense of $85.4 million, $81.9 million, $35.8 million and $77.2 million, respectively.
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Industry and Competition
Healthcare is evolving to be more patient-centered and value-based. Patients, healthcare providers, payors and health systems are looking to apply the power of genetic insights, molecular diagnostics, and precision medicine to advance care, improve access, and lower cost. We believe key industry trends include:
• accelerating shifts in consumer engagement, early detection, home-based care models, the rise of low-cost sequencing, telemedicine, and virtual care;
• disruption in the way outpatient care is delivered as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, coupled with broadened awareness of the vital role of diagnostic testing;
• expanding access to genetic insights, particularly among underserved populations with increased focus on health equity, reducing disparities in health care outcomes, and ensuring increased access for challenged communities;
• broader, more innovative use of large data sets and analytics; and
• growth in personalized medicine and the interest in new partnership models to advance companion diagnostics and serve patients with specific treatments based on their own genetic makeup and biology.
We believe these market trends create new opportunities to position us for organic growth and commercial success through the launch of new products and the enhancement of existing products. Our focus is on articulating the clinical differentiation of our products and our commitment to being a reliable testing partner to patients and providers and innovative science that improves health outcomes, access for all, and ease of experience in the testing process. We expect to use our ability to innovate not only in research, development, and technology, but also in go-to-market approaches, commercial capabilities, and tech-enabled applications to adapt quickly to customer preferences and market dynamics.
Oncology
In oncology, we offer testing for patients who have cancer and companion diagnostic tests that work with corresponding drugs and treatments. Our competitors in the oncology market include Invitae Corporation, Ambry Genetics Corporation, Quest Diagnostics Incorporated, Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings, Exact Sciences Corporation, Foundation Medicine, Inc. and other commercial and academic laboratories.
As a leader in genetic testing and precision medicine, we provide insights that help people take control of their health, and enable healthcare providers to better detect, treat, and prevent disease. We believe that the key opportunities to grow our Oncology business are our expansion of companion diagnostics, market expansion through new clinical guidelines, and providing new offerings. For example, in the first quarter of 2022, we launched the Precise Tumor Molecular Profile Test in partnership with Intermountain Precision Genomics and Illumina and as part of Precise Oncology Solutions, a differentiated, comprehensive solution for advanced precision oncology. In March 2022, we received FDA approval for the BRACAnalysis CDx test for use as a companion diagnostic to identify patients with germline BRCA-mutated (gRBCAm) HER2 negative, high-risk early-stage breast cancer who may benefit from Lynparza (olaparib). We currently offer our FDA-approved BRACAnalysis CDx test as a companion diagnostic for the prediction of response to PARP inhibitors. Currently, we are the only laboratory with an FDA-approved germline test for this indication and have received approvals from the FDA in ovarian cancer, metastatic breast cancer, pancreatic cancer, and advanced prostate cancer. In August 2022, we received approval from the Japanese regulatory agencies for the use of BRACAnalysis Diagnostic System as a companion diagnostic to identify patients with germline BRCA-mutated (gBRCAm) and HER2-negative high-risk recurrent breast cancer who may benefit from Lynparza (olaparib).
In late 2023, we also plan to add, also in partnership with Intermountain Precision Genomics, a new liquid biopsy therapy selection test called Precise Liquid to the comprehensive Precise Oncology Solutions offering. We are also developing Precise MRD, a monitoring test based on whole genome sequencing to deeply interrogate tumors, detect cancer recurrence earlier, and help guide treatment decisions.
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Women’s Health
In the women’s health market, we serve women assessing their genetic predisposition to cancer, offer prenatal tests for the assessment of fetal chromosomal disorders, and screen prospective parents for recessive genetic conditions that can be passed on to their offspring. We also offer the SneakPeek Early Gender DNA Test which can reveal a baby's gender as early as six weeks into pregnancy. We compete with multiple companies, including large national reference laboratories, specialty laboratories, academic/university laboratories, and kit-based products with our MyRisk, Foresight, Prequel and SneakPeek tests. Our competitors include Invitae Corporation, Natera, Inc., Ambry Genetics Corporation, a subsidiary of Konica Minolta Inc., Quest Diagnostics Incorporated, Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings, and Peekaboo Early Detection Gender DNA Test. We compete mainly based on our test breadth and accuracy, equity in care capability, and our commercial scale.
We see opportunities to improve both our economics and the customer experience on these products. We remain focused on the reimbursement for carrier screening and finding streamlined patient payment models. We are expanding new sales and marketing channels to interact with patients and allow customers greater access to our products. For example, with our recent acquisition of Gateway and its home-based SneakPeek Early Gender DNA Test, we have greater access to consumers who are pregnant and opportunities to convert these customers into prenatal testing patients as well as cancer screening patients. We also plan to improve customer experience with our new online unified ordering portal to engage with patients and physicians, our cost estimators across our product lines, our remote in-market customer service teams, and artificial intelligence-based tools for interacting with patients.
We expect to further simplify and advance prenatal care with the launch of FirstGene ™, a comprehensive prenatal screening test. FirstGene combines the power of our Prequel NIPS with AMPLIFY technology with our Foresight Carrier Screen into a new 4-in-1 prenatal offering for NIPS, carrier screen, fetal recessive status, and feto-maternal blood compatibility. This new test, which is expected to launch in the third quarter of 2023, is designed to streamline the testing process and simplify workflow with a single maternal blood draw while providing early insight on the fetus with improved sensitivity for all pregnancies, helping to reduce unnecessary amniocentesis. We recently announced our support for the recent guideline update by the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG), which reaffirmed the clinical value of NIPS to screen for a range of chromosomal abnormalities. ACMG continues to recommend offering screening for common trisomies (on chromosomes 13, 18, and 21) in all pregnancies, and recently updated guidance that provides a strong recommendation for offering screening for sex-chromosome aneuploidies (SCAs) and conditional support for offering screening for 22q microdeletion syndrome. As part of the NIPS within FirstGene, both SCAs and 22q are expected to be available as additional opt-in screening.
Mental Health
In mental health, we help physicians understand how genetic alterations may impact patient response to antidepressants and other drugs. We believe our GeneSight Psychotropic Mental Health Medication Test meets a significant unmet clinical need and is a leading product to help physicians anticipate patient response to psychotropic drugs, the selection of which has historically been done through trial and error based approaches. The test is clinically proven to improve response rates in patients compared to standard of care. Our competitors in this market include Genomind, Quest Diagnostics Incorporated, and Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings.
Key opportunities to grow our business in this market include growing awareness of pharmacogenomic opportunities for mental health treatment and driving physician adoption and utilization of our product to help guide treatment options. We are broadening access to GeneSight among front-line providers of mental health treatment, including primary care physicians and nurse practitioners who treat the majority of patients suffering from depression and anxiety, and through the expansion of sales and digital marketing capabilities. Moving forward, we are exploring the extension of GeneSight in other indications as well as other areas such as postpartum depression through our Women's Health business.
Seasonality
We have historically experienced seasonality in our testing business. The quarter ended December 31st is generally strong as we typically experience an increase in volumes from patients who have met their annual insurance deductible. Conversely, in the quarter ended March 31st we typically experience a decrease in volumes due to the annual reset of patient deductibles. Additionally, the volume of testing is negatively impacted by the summer season, which is generally reflected in the quarter ended September 30th.
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Human Capital Management
Our mission is to advance health and well-being for all by empowering individuals with vital insights to help them take control of their health and enabling healthcare providers to better detect, treat and prevent disease. We believe the success of our mission depends, in part, on our ability to attract and retain qualified personnel. Our key human capital management objectives are to recruit, retain and motivate the exceptional people needed to carry out our mission. To support these objectives and help our employees balance their work and personal lives, we maintain a flexible work environment and competitive compensation and benefits programs.
As of December 31, 2022, we have approximately 2,600 full-time equivalent employees. Most of our employees are engaged directly in customer experience, research, technology, development, production, and sales and marketing. Our employees are not covered by a collective bargaining agreement, and we consider our relations with our employees to be good.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) : Our DE&I objective is to make Myriad a place where all employees have a sense of belonging. Myriad supports a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion aligned with our company mission, vision, and values to drive company performance by creating opportunities and experiences for learning, development, and a sense of belonging for all employees. Our DE&I plan is focused on our people, mission, and community. We have three employee-led resource groups (ERGs) that represent and support three diverse communities in our workforce: the Pride Alliance Group, the Black Employees at Myriad Group and the Women's Leadership Group. These ERGs mentor, foster, encourage, and inspire employees in all stages of their careers by providing access to senior leadership, peer groups, mentoring, and other valuable resources to help them pursue their career ambitions.
As of December 31, 2022, 62% of our employees are women and women hold 46% of Myriad leadership roles (vice president and above). One third of the members of our Board of Directors are women, including the chairperson, and 44% of our Board members come from diverse gender, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds.
Compensation, Health, Wellness, Family Resources, and Other Benefits : Our compensation program is designed to attract and reward talented individuals who possess the skills necessary to support our business objectives, assist in the achievement of our strategic goals and create long-term value for our stockholders. We provide competitive salaries, stock ownership opportunities, and enhanced incentive and bonus programs. We also provide an expansive benefit offering including medical, dental and vision health care coverage, insurance and disability coverage, 401(k) investment plans with Company matching, tax advantaged savings accounts, paid time off and leaves of absence, parental leave, family formation benefits, employee assistance programs, community outreach programs, training and development opportunities, and wellness programs. We provide added work life balance to our employees through hybrid work arrangements. We also provide free mental health resources for employees and their dependents.
Career Development and Training : We offer several career development and training opportunities to our employees, including a curriculum of Company-sponsored technical, business and leadership courses, on-the-job training and a support network to all new employees, and tuition reimbursement for approved external training and educational pursuits.
Oversight and Management : We regularly conduct surveys to seek feedback from our employees on a variety of topics, including employee engagement, Company strengths and focus areas, and culture drivers. The results are reviewed by our Board of Directors, the Compensation and Human Capital Committee and senior leadership, who analyze areas of progress or deterioration and prioritize actions and activities in response to this feedback to drive meaningful improvements in employee engagement.
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Social Responsibility and Community : At Myriad, corporate responsibility plays an important role in our approach to developing valuable and transformative diagnostic tests across major diseases to improve patients' lives. We believe that our corporate social responsibility programs build greater value for our patients, healthcare professionals and stockholders, support and improve the communities where we live and work, and empower our employees to become more engaged in the well-being of their own communities.
The corporate social responsibility programs at Myriad align with a clearly defined set of strategic priorities including:
• Philanthropy : We provide financial support to nonprofit organizations and share the expertise of our employees in the communities where we operate.
• Advocacy : We collaborate with and support key patient advocacy and support organizations where we can make a positive difference in addressing complex health challenges, providing and improving the quality of life for patients.
• Scholarship : We provide financial support for academic scholarship and education at both the undergraduate and post-graduate levels and contribute to advancing education and training for women and minorities in medicine and science.
• Patient Assistance : We are working to improve overall health care quality and increase access to diagnostic testing for uninsured and underinsured populations by offering robust financial assistance and free testing to those in need.
• Environmental : As described further below, we have created a Green Team to foster environmental and sustainability stewardship.
Environmental and Sustainability
We strive to do business in ways that protect both the health and safety of our employees and the world in which we operate by establishing, promoting, maintaining and improving a culture of sustainability and environmental responsibility. In order to achieve our objectives, we have increased our focus on environmental and sustainability efforts by adopting a Sustainability Strategy and Vision Statement that we are working towards fully implementing. The Nominating, Environmental, Social and Governance Committee of our Board of Directors is responsible for reviewing and evaluating our environmental, climate, safety, social and other corporate responsibility strategies, practices, and initiatives. We have also formed an internal Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Committee, led by our President and Chief Executive Officer, and created a Green Team in an effort to develop and maintain sustainable business practices. For more information on our approach to sustainability, please refer to our 2021 Environmental, Social and Governance Report, which is available on our website. Our 2022 Environmental, Social and Governance Report is expected to be released later this year.
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Patents and Proprietary Rights
We own or have license rights to various issued patents and patent applications in the United States and foreign countries. These patents and patent applications relate to a variety of subject matter, including diagnostic biomarkers, gene expression signatures, assays, assay reagents, informatics and data analytics, methods for determining genetic predisposition, methods for disease diagnosis, methods for determining disease progression, methods for determining disease treatment, and general molecular diagnostic techniques. For some of the patent assets, we hold rights through exclusive or non-exclusive license agreements. Material issued patent assets relating to our tests that generate material revenue are described in the table below, along with any related pending applications. These issued patents are expected to begin expiring on the respective dates noted below and any related applications, if issued as patents and depending on term adjustments or terminal disclaimers, if applicable, are expected to have similar expiration timeframes. These patents and applications contain multiple claims including but not limited to those claims described below.
Test Patent Assets Expiration Claims
Prolaris Prostate Cancer Prognostic Test We own or hold an exclusive license to one or more issued patents and pending patent applications in the U.S. and other jurisdictions relating to Prolaris ® testing.
These issued U.S. patents have terms expected to begin expiring in 2030. Claims relating to biomarkers, kits, systems and methods for detecting, diagnosing, prognosing and selecting therapy for prostate cancer.
EndoPredict Breast Cancer Prognostic Test We own or hold an exclusive license to one or more issued patents and pending patent applications in the U.S., Europe and other jurisdictions relating to EndoPredict ® testing.
These issued patents have terms expected to begin expiring in 2031. Claims relating to biomarkers, kits, systems and methods for prognosing and selecting therapy for breast cancer.
MyChoice CDx Companion Diagnostic Test We own or hold an exclusive license to one or more issued patents and pending patent applications in the U.S. and other jurisdictions relating to MyChoice ® CDx testing.
These issued patents have terms expected to expire in 2031. Claims relating to biomarkers, kits, systems and methods for detecting homologous recombination deficiency and selecting therapy based on such detection.
GeneSight Psychotropic Mental Health Medication Test We own or hold an exclusive license to one or more issued patents and pending patent applications in the U.S. and other jurisdictions relating to GeneSight ® testing.
These issued patents have terms expected to begin expiring in 2024. Claims relating to biomarkers, kits, systems and methods for detecting single nucleotide polymorphisms and selecting and/or optimizing therapy based on such detection.
Foresight Carrier Screen We own or hold an exclusive license to one or more issued patents and pending patent applications in the U.S. and other jurisdictions that relate to laboratory and informatic methods used to enhance Foresight ® testing.
These issued patents have terms expected to begin expiring in 2032. Claims relating to systems and methods for detecting genetic sequences.
Prequel Prenatal Screen We own or hold a license to one or more issued patents and pending patent applications in the U.S. and other jurisdictions that relate to laboratory and informatic methods used to enhance Prequel™ testing. These issued patents have terms expected to begin expiring in 2032. Claims relating to systems and methods for detecting genetic sequences.
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We intend to seek patent protection in the United States and major foreign jurisdictions for these and other inventions which we believe are patentable and where we believe our interests would be best served by seeking patent protection. However, any patents issued to us or our licensors may not afford meaningful protection for our products or technology or may be subsequently circumvented, invalidated or narrowed or found unenforceable. Any patent applications which we have filed, or will file, or to which we have licensed or will license rights may not issue, and patents that do issue may not contain commercially valuable claims. In addition, others may obtain patents having claims which cover aspects of our tests or processes which are necessary for or useful to the development, use or performance of our products. Should any other group obtain patent protection with respect to our discoveries, our commercialization of our tests could be limited or prohibited.
Others may offer genomic laboratory testing services which may infringe patents we control. We may seek to negotiate a license to use our patent rights or decide to seek enforcement of our patent rights through litigation. Patent litigation is expensive, the outcome is often uncertain and we may not be able to enforce our patent rights against others.
Our tests and processes may also conflict with patents which have been or may be granted to competitors, academic institutions or others. In addition, third parties could bring legal actions against us seeking to invalidate our owned or licensed patents, claiming damages, or seeking to enjoin clinical testing, development and marketing of our tests or processes. If any of these actions are successful, in addition to any potential liability for damages, we could lose patent coverage for our tests, be required to cease the infringing activity or obtain a license in order to continue to develop or market the relevant test or process. We may not prevail in any such action, and any license required under any such patent may not be made available on acceptable terms, if at all. Our failure to maintain patent protection for our tests and processes or to obtain a license to any technology that we may require to commercialize our tests and technologies could have a material adverse effect on our business.
We also rely upon unpatented proprietary technology, and in the future may determine in some cases that our interests would be better served by protecting certain technologies as trade secrets or through confidentiality agreements rather than patents or licenses. These include some of our genomic, proteomic, RNA expression, mutation analysis, robotic and bioinformatic technologies which may be used in discovering and characterizing new biomarkers and ultimately used in the development or analysis of tests. We also maintain a database of gene mutations and their status as either harmful or benign for some of our tests. To further protect our trade secrets and other proprietary information, we require that our employees and consultants enter into confidentiality and invention assignment agreements. However, those confidentiality and invention assignment agreements may not provide us with adequate protection. We may not be able to protect our rights to such unpatented proprietary technology and others may independently develop substantially equivalent technologies. If we are unable to obtain strong proprietary rights to our processes or tests, competitors may be able to market competing processes and tests.
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License Agreements
We are a party to license agreements which give us the rights to use certain technologies in the research, development, testing processes, and commercialization of our tests. These licenses generally end on the expiration of the last to expire patent rights covered by the applicable license agreement. We may not be able to continue to license these technologies on commercially reasonable terms, if at all. In addition, each license may be terminated by the licensor in the event of an uncured breach by us of any material term of the applicable license agreement. Patents underlying our license agreements may not afford meaningful protection for our technology or tests or may be subsequently circumvented, invalidated or narrowed, or found unenforceable. Our failure to maintain rights to this technology could have a material adverse effect on our business. The table below lists important licenses to technology that is incorporated into tests that generate material revenue:
Entity Subject Royalties Expiration
Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (Mayo) Exclusive world-wide license to certain rights of Mayo in intellectual property relating to our GeneSight testing. We pay Mayo a royalty based on net sales of our GeneSight test. We do not anticipate that this license will expire until 2024.
University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center (UTMDACC) Exclusive world-wide right to certain rights of UTMDACC in intellectual property relating to our MyChoice ® HRD testing.
We pay UTMDACC a royalty based on net sales of our MyChoice ® HRD test.
We do not anticipate that this license will expire until 2032.
Children’s Medical Center in Boston (CMCC) Exclusive world-wide right to certain rights of CMCC in intellectual property relating to our MyChoice ® HRD testing.
We pay CMCC a royalty based on net sales of our MyChoice ® HRD test.
We do not anticipate that this license will expire until 2032.
Institut Curie and INSERM (INSERM) Exclusive world-wide right to certain rights of INSERM in intellectual property relating to our MyChoice ® HRD testing.
We pay INSERM a royalty based on net sales of our MyChoice ® HRD test.
We do not anticipate that this license will expire until 2032.
Illumina, Inc. Non-exclusive license to certain rights held by or licensed to Illumina to intellectual property relating to non-invasive prenatal screening and the Prequel test. We pay Illumina a royalty based on the volume of Prequel testing administered by us. License runs for the term of the Illumina agreement and, in any event, expires upon expiration of the last to expire patent right covered by the Illumina agreement.
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Governmental Regulation
Our operations are regulated by federal, state and foreign governmental authorities. Failure to comply with the applicable laws and regulations can subject us to repayment of amounts previously paid to us, significant civil and criminal penalties, loss of licensure, certification, or accreditation, or exclusion from state and federal health care programs. The significant areas of regulation are summarized below.
Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988 and State Regulation
Each of our clinical laboratories must hold certain federal, state and local licenses, certifications, and permits to conduct our business. Laboratories in the United States that perform testing on human specimens for the purpose of providing information for the diagnosis, prevention, or treatment of disease are subject to the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988 (CLIA). CLIA requires such laboratories to be certified by the federal government and mandates compliance with various operational, personnel, facilities administration, quality and proficiency testing requirements intended to ensure that testing services are accurate, reliable and timely. CLIA certification also is a prerequisite to be eligible to bill state and federal health care programs, as well as many private third-party payors, for laboratory testing services. Our laboratories in Salt Lake City, Utah, Mason, Ohio, and South San Francisco, California are CLIA certified to perform high complexity tests.
CLIA requires each of our certified laboratories to enroll in an approved proficiency testing program if performing testing in any category for which proficiency testing is required. Each of our laboratories periodically tests specimens received from an outside proficiency testing organization and then submits the results back to that organization for evaluation. If one of our laboratories fails to achieve a passing score on a proficiency test, then it may lose its right to perform testing. Further, failure to comply with other proficiency testing regulations, such as the prohibition on referral of a proficiency testing specimen to another laboratory for analysis, can result in revocation of the laboratory’s CLIA certification.
As a condition of CLIA certification, each of our laboratories is subject to survey and inspection every other year, in addition to being subject to additional random inspections. The biennial survey is conducted by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), a CMS agent (typically a state agency), or a CMS-approved accreditation organization. Because our laboratories are accredited by the College of American Pathologists (CAP), which is a CMS-approved accreditation organization, they are typically subject to CAP rather than CMS inspections.
Our laboratories are licensed by the appropriate state agencies in the states in which they operate, if such licensure is required. In addition, our laboratories hold state licenses or permits, as applicable, from various states, including, but not limited to, California, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Maryland, to the extent that they accept specimens from one or more of these states, each of which requires out-of-state laboratories to obtain licensure.
If a laboratory is out of compliance with state laws or regulations governing licensed laboratories or with CLIA, penalties may include suspension, limitation or revocation of the license or CLIA certificate, assessment of financial penalties or fines, or imprisonment. Loss of a laboratory’s CLIA certificate or state license may also result in the inability to receive payments from state and federal health care programs as well as private third-party payors. We believe that we are in material compliance with CLIA and all applicable licensing laws and regulations.
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Food and Drug Administration
In the United States, in vitro diagnostic (IVD) products are subject to regulation by the FDA as medical devices to the extent that they are intended for use in the diagnosis of disease or other conditions, including a determination of the state of health, in order to cure, mitigate, treat, or prevent disease. They are subject to premarket review and post-market controls that will differ depending on how the FDA classifies a specific IVD, which is further defined in FDA’s implementing regulations as a device intended for use in the collection, preparation, and examination of specimens taken from the human body. For certain types of tests known as laboratory developed tests (LDTs)—which are in vitro diagnostic tests that are designed, manufactured and used within a single laboratory—FDA regulation is less clear than for IVDs. Historically, FDA has exercised enforcement discretion for LDTs, which means that FDA generally has not enforced premarket review and other applicable FDA requirements. However, as LDTs have increased in complexity, the FDA has taken a risk-based approach to their regulation. Congress has also signaled interest in clarifying the regulatory landscape for LDTs. Most recently, reform entitled the Verifying Accurate, Leading-edge IVCT Development (VALID) Act has received bipartisan congressional support as revisions continue to be made to the bill. If enacted, clinical laboratories that develop and offer LDTs and traditional IVD medical device manufacturers would be subjected to the same regulatory oversight. The VALID Act defines both LDTs and IVDs as in vitro clinical tests (IVCT) and would establish a new regulatory framework separate and apart from the medical device framework under the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FDCA) for the review and oversight of IVCTs. The proposed regulatory framework adopts various concepts from the FDCA, utilizing a risk-based approach that aims to ensure that all marketed IVCTs have a reasonable assurance of both analytical and clinical validity, and includes a proposed future user fee program for IVCTs. The VALID Act would also create a new system for clinical laboratories and hospitals to submit their clinical tests electronically to the FDA for approval, among other potentially significant changes to current regulatory requirements applicable to the lab industry as a whole. This system is aimed at reducing the amount of time that it takes for the agency to approve such tests, and it establishes a new program to expedite the development of diagnostic tests that can be used to address a current unmet need for patients. It is unclear whether the VALID Act will be passed by Congress in its current form or signed into law by the President; if enacted, however, it is expected to require clinical laboratories to spend significant time, resources, and money towards ensuring compliance.
In Vitro Diagnostics as Medical Devices
The information that must be submitted to the FDA in order to obtain clearance or approval to market a new IVD varies depending on how the device is classified by the FDA. Medical devices are classified into one of three classes on the basis of the controls deemed by the FDA to be necessary to reasonably ensure their safety and effectiveness. Class I devices are subject to general controls, including labeling, and adherence to the FDA’s quality system regulations, which are device-specific good manufacturing practices. Class II devices are subject to premarket notification, general controls and sometimes special controls, such as performance standards and post-market surveillance. Class III devices are subject to most of the previously identified requirements as well as to premarket approval. All Class I devices are exempt from premarket review, most Class II devices require 510(k) clearance, and all Class III devices must receive premarket approval before they can be sold in the United States. If a previously unclassified new medical device does not qualify for the 510(k) pathway because no predicate device to which it is substantially equivalent can be identified, the device is automatically classified into Class III. However, if such a device would be considered low or moderate risk, it may be eligible for the De Novo classification process. The De Novo classification process allows a device developer to request that the novel medical device be reclassified as either a Class I or Class II device, rather than having it regulated as a high-risk Class III device subject to the premarket approval requirements. The payment of a fee, typically adjusted annually, to the FDA is usually required when a 510(k) notification, premarket approval application, or De Novo classification request is submitted.
510(k) Premarket Notification and De Novo Classification
A 510(k) notification requires the sponsor to demonstrate that an IVD is substantially equivalent to another marketed device, termed a “predicate device,” that is legally marketed in the United States and for which a premarket approval (PMA) application was not required. A device is substantially equivalent to a predicate device if it has the same intended use and technological characteristics as the predicate; or has the same intended use but different technological characteristics, where the information submitted to the FDA does not raise new questions of safety and effectiveness and demonstrates that the device is at least as safe and effective as the legally marketed device. Clinical trials are almost always required to support a PMA application and are sometimes required for a De Novo classification request or a 510(k) premarket notification.
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If the FDA determines that the applicant’s device is substantially equivalent to the identified predicate device(s), the agency will issue a 510(k) clearance letter that authorizes commercial marketing of the device for one or more specific indications for use. Requests for additional data, including clinical data, will increase the time necessary to review the notice. If the FDA believes that the IVD is not substantially equivalent to a predicate device, it will issue a “Not Substantially Equivalent” letter, stating that the new device may not be commercially distributed and designating the device as a Class III device, which will require the submission and approval of a PMA application before the new device may be marketed. Alternatively, the applicant may be able to submit a De Novo classification request to have it regulated as a Class I or Class II device. The FDA recently issued a final rule to formally codify requirements for the procedures and criteria for product developers to follow when preparing a De Novo classification request. The new Do Novo regulations became effective on January 3, 2022. Among other things, if the manufacturer seeks reclassification into Class II, the classification request must include a draft proposal for special controls that are necessary to provide a reasonable assurance of the safety and effectiveness of the device.
As an alternative to the De Novo classification process, the manufacturer could also file a reclassification petition seeking to change the automatic Class III designation of a novel post-amendment device under Section 513(f)(3) of the FDCA. The FDA can also initiate reclassification of an existing device type on its own initiative, and it recently issued a final rule to clarify the administrative process through which the agency reclassifies a medical device.
After a new medical device receives 510(k) clearance from the FDA, any modification that could significantly affect its safety or effectiveness, or that would constitute a major change in its intended use, requires a new 510(k) clearance or could require the submission of a PMA application. The FDA continues to reevaluate the 510(k) pathway and other medical device programs and has taken what it describes as a risk-based approach to develop innovative regulatory policy to propose a more “contemporary” approach to the life cycle oversight of medical devices and IVDs. We cannot predict what if any additional regulatory changes will occur or how they will affect our current or future products.
Premarket Approval
The PMA process is more complex, costly and time consuming than the 510(k) process. As with a De Novo classification request, a PMA application must be supported by more detailed and comprehensive scientific evidence, including clinical data, to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of the IVD for its intended purpose. If the device is determined to present a “significant risk,” the sponsor may not begin a clinical trial until it submits an investigational device exemption (IDE) to the FDA and obtains approval to begin the trial.
After the PMA application is submitted, the FDA has 45 days to make a threshold determination that the PMA application is sufficiently complete to permit a substantive review. If the PMA application is complete, the FDA will file the PMA. The FDA is subject to a performance goal review time for a PMA application that is 180 days from the date of filing, although in practice this review time is longer. Questions from the FDA, requests for additional data including additional clinical data and referrals to advisory committees may delay the process considerably. The total process may take several years and there is no guarantee that the PMA application will ever be approved. Even if approved, the FDA may limit the indications for which the device may be marketed. New PMA applications or PMA supplements may be required for modifications to the manufacturing process, labeling, device specifications, materials or design of a device that is approved through the PMA process.
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Regulation of Companion Diagnostic Devices
If a sponsor or the FDA believes that a diagnostic test is essential for the safe and effective use of a corresponding therapeutic product, the sponsor of the therapeutic product will typically work with a collaborator to develop an IVD companion diagnostic device. The FDA has issued a final guidance document entitled “ In Vitro Companion Diagnostic Devices” that is intended to assist companies developing in vitro companion diagnostic devices and companies developing therapeutic products that depend on the use of a specific in vitro companion diagnostic for the safe and effective use of the product. In the guidance, the FDA defined an IVD companion diagnostic device as a device that provides information that is essential for the safe and effective use of a corresponding therapeutic product. The FDA also noted that in some cases, if evidence is sufficient to conclude that the IVD companion diagnostic device is appropriate for use with a class of therapeutic products, the intended use/indications for use should name the therapeutic class, rather than each specific product within the class. In April 2020, FDA published another final guidance entitled “Developing and Labeling In Vitro Companion Diagnostic Devices for a Specific Group or Class of Oncology Therapeutic Products” that expands on the idea of a class of therapeutic products. The more recent guidance describes considerations for the development and labeling of in vitro companion diagnostic devices to support the indicated uses of multiple drug or biological oncology products, when appropriate. The FDA expects that the therapeutic sponsor will address the need for an approved or cleared IVD companion diagnostic device in its therapeutic product development plan and that, in most cases, the therapeutic product and its corresponding IVD companion diagnostic will be developed contemporaneously. To that end, the FDA has also issued draft guidance entitled “Principles for Codevelopment of an In Vitro Companion Diagnostic Device with a Therapeutic Product” to serve as a practical guide to assist therapeutic product sponsors and IVD sponsors in developing a therapeutic product and an accompanying IVD companion diagnostic, as well as draft guidance entitled “Developing and Labeling In Vitro Companion Diagnostic Devices for a Specific Group or Class of Oncology Therapeutic Products” to facilitate class labeling on diagnostic tests for oncology therapeutic products.
The FDA has indicated that it will apply a risk-based approach to determine the regulatory pathway for IVD companion diagnostic devices, as it does with all medical devices. This means that the regulatory pathway will depend on the level of risk to patients, based on the intended use of the IVD companion diagnostic device and the controls necessary to provide a reasonable assurance of safety and effectiveness.
If the companion diagnostic test will be used to make critical treatment decisions such as patient selection, treatment assignment, or treatment arm, it will likely be considered a significant risk device for which a clinical trial will be required. The sponsor of the IVD companion diagnostic device will be required to comply with the FDA’s IDE requirements that apply to clinical trials of significant risk devices. If the diagnostic test and the therapeutic drug are studied together to support their respective approvals, the clinical trial must meet both the IDE and investigational new drug application (IND) requirements. We expect that any IVD companion diagnostic device developed for use with drug products will utilize the PMA pathway and that a clinical trial performed under an IDE will have to be completed before the PMA application may be submitted.
We are developing companion diagnostic tests for use with drug products in development by pharmaceutical companies, such as our collaborations with pharmaceutical companies on PARP inhibitors for the treatment of ovarian, breast and other cancers. The FDA has also introduced the concept of a complementary diagnostic that it defines as a test that is not required but which provides significant information about the use of a drug. A complementary test can help guide treatment strategy and identify which patients are likely to derive the greatest benefit from therapy, and if approved by the FDA, information regarding the IVD will be included in the therapeutic product labeling. Although the FDA has not yet issued any written guidance regarding complementary diagnostics, it has approved some complementary diagnostics, including a supplementary premarket approval for BRACAnalysis CDx and MyChoice CDx as complementary diagnostic tests in ovarian cancer patients associated with enhanced progression-free survival (PFS) when used with the PARP inhibitor Zejula™ (niraparib).
In December 2014, we first obtained premarket approval for BRACAnalysis CDx, which is used as a companion diagnostic test to identify ovarian cancer patients who may benefit from AstraZeneca’s PARP inhibitor Lynparza™ (olaparib). Since then, other indications for BRACAnalysis CDx in ovarian, breast, prostate and pancreatic cancer have received supplemental PMA approval as a companion diagnostic for Lynparza. The MyChoice CDx test has also received approvals as a companion diagnostic test. The premarket approval process for companion or complementary diagnostics is a complex, costly and time-consuming procedure. Approvals must be supported by valid scientific evidence, submitted as part of a PMA application, which typically requires extensive data, including quality technical, preclinical, clinical and manufacturing data to demonstrate to the FDA’s satisfaction the safety and effectiveness of the companion diagnostic. We are currently collaborating with several bio-pharmaceutical companies for additional indications and geographical commercialization opportunities for BRACAnalysis CDx and MyChoice CDx as companion diagnostics with other drugs.
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Ongoing Post-Market Regulatory Requirements in the United States
Any products sold by us pursuant to FDA clearances or approvals will be subject to pervasive and continuing regulation by the FDA. In particular, after a medical device is placed on the market, applicable regulatory requirements include:
• compliance with the FDA’s Quality System Regulation (QSR), which requires manufacturers to follow stringent design, testing, control, documentation, record maintenance, including maintenance of complaint and related investigation files, and other quality assurance controls during the manufacturing process;
• labeling and advertising regulations, which prohibit the promotion of FDA-regulated medical products for uncleared, or unapproved uses, or “off-label” uses, and impose other restrictions on labeling; and
• medical device reporting obligations, which require that manufacturers investigate and report to the FDA adverse events, including deaths, or serious injuries that may have been or were caused by a medical device and malfunctions in the device that would likely cause or contribute to a death or serious injury if it were to recur.
In addition, device manufacturers are required to register their establishments and list their devices with the FDA and are subject to periodic inspections by the FDA and certain state agencies. Failure to comply with applicable regulatory requirements can result in enforcement action by the FDA and other enforcement agencies, which may include sanctions, including but not limited to, warning letters; fines, injunctions and civil penalties; recall or seizure of the device; operating restrictions, partial suspension or total shutdown of production; refusal to grant 510(k) clearance or approval of PMAs of new devices; withdrawal of clearance or approval; and civil or criminal prosecution.
Regulation of In Vitro Diagnostics and Companion Diagnostic Devices Outside the United States
Products intended for use in IVD applications require regulatory approvals in many other countries and geographic areas, some of which also provide for approval of companion diagnostics.
European Union
In the European Union (EU), IVD medical devices historically were regulated under the EU Directive 98/79/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on in vitro diagnostic medical devices (the Directive). IVDs were not subject to pre-market authorization by a National Competent Authority (NCA) under the Directive, but instead had to comply with essential requirements based on conformity with harmonized standards. For certain IVDs, compliance with the essential requirements was subject to assessment by a Notified Body. Notified bodies are entities designated by the relevant NCAs and are responsible for assessing the conformity of IVDs before they are placed on the EU market. Under the Directive, the majority of IVDs could be placed on the market as a result of the manufacturer self-certifying the IVD as being in conformity with the essential requirements, without the involvement of a Notified Body.
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The Directive was replaced by the Regulation (EU) 2017/746 of the European Parliament and of the Council on in vitro diagnostic medical devices (IVDR) that entered into force in May 2017, and which initially included a 5-year transition period until its original effective date of May 26, 2022. Unlike the Directive, which specifies certain requirements that must be achieved by each Member State and permits each Member State to decide how to transpose the Directive into national law to meet those requirements, the IVDR has direct binding legal force throughout every Member State without the need for national implementation. The major goals of the IVDR are to standardize diagnostic procedures within the EU, increase reliability of diagnostic analysis and enhance patient safety. Under the IVDR, IVDs are subject to additional legal regulatory requirements as compared to the Directive. Among other things, the IVDR introduces a new risk-based classification for IVDs and specifies CDx and genetic tests as Class C products (second highest risk). Under the IVDR, Class C IVDs require assessment by a Notified Body for certification and audit of the manufacturer's quality management system before they can be placed on the market. The IVDR also obligates laboratories located outside the EU to comply with the IVDR if testing specimens from European citizens. Compliance with the IVDR may be expensive and time-consuming. Manufacturers will need to provide significant evidence to demonstrate that a device performs safely and effectively. Performance data may require the conduct of additional clinical investigations or performance studies, with additional and more strict requirements under the IVDR. As noted above, the vast majority of IVDs under the Directive are self-certified, so many device manufacturers have not previously been subject to the Notified Body audits that will occur under the IVDR and will have to revise their Quality Management System (QMS) and Technical Documentation which will now be reviewed by the Notified Bodies. Companion diagnostic IVDs may also be reviewed by the competent medicinal product authorities, usually the European Medicines Agency, as part of a consultation process that will be part of the conformity assessment procedure. There will also be a greater emphasis on post-market surveillance and submission of post-market performance follow-up reports. Due to multiple challenges to the IVDR being ready for full application by the May 2022 implementation date, Regulation (EU) 2022/112 of the Parliament and of the Council was published on 25 January 2022 allowing for a delay to the application of the IVDR by amending the transition provision for certain in vitro diagnostic medical devices. For products classified as Class C under the IVDR, the transition period allows for legacy devices with a valid declaration of conformity drawn up prior to May 26, 2022 to continue to be placed on the market until May 26, 2026. However, certain IVDR requirements, including post-market surveillance, market surveillance, vigilance, and registration of economic operators and devices remained effective on the May 26, 2022 implementation date.
United Kingdom
The withdrawal of the United Kingdom (UK) from the EU has had ramifications for IVD manufacturers. Among other things, IVD manufacturers have to follow new procedures in the UK including appointment of a UK Responsible Person to manage their compliance efforts in the UK.
The UK Medicine and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) issued guidance on the regulation of IVDs in the UK following Brexit, and changed the applicable legislation in the UK to take account of the fact that the UK is not a free-standing regulatory regime.
As described in these provisions, MHRA will continue to recognize CE marks until July 2024. Companies wishing to place IVDs on the UK market have been required to register with MHRA since January 1, 2021, but are still able to sell CE-IVD marked products in Great Britain, which is defined as England, Scotland and Wales, until July 2024. From approximately July 2024, when new legislation is intended to come into force, companies selling in the UK will have to obtain a new marking called a UK Conformity Assessed mark (UKCA) in order to place a diagnostic device into commerce in Great Britain. This mark, which can be obtained now, is not recognized in EU countries, meaning that companies that wish to sell in the UK and the EU will have to seek both a UKCA and CE-IVD mark in the future. The EU legislative framework applies in Northern Ireland, meaning that companies can still, and will still be able to, sell tests in Northern Ireland under applicable EU IVD regulations including the current IVDR.
Japan
IVDs are regulated in Japan by the Pharmaceutical and Medical Devices Agency (PMDA) and are assigned to one of three classes depending on the perceived level of risk. Those in the least risky class may be registered and marketed after filing a pre-market submission, while those in the middle class are subject to pre-market certification by a registered certification body. The riskiest IVDs must be approved. Submissions may be made only by marketing authorization holders, which must satisfy specific requirements.
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Significant revisions to Japanese regulations of medical devices, IVDs and other health care products are ongoing. The first round of changes to Japan’s Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Act took effect September 1, 2020 and August 2021, with additional revisions coming into force in December 2022. Some of those changes will affect IVDs, including the ability to qualify for fast track designation.
Additional International Regulation
We market, directly or through distributors, some of our tests outside of the United States and are subject to foreign regulatory requirements governing laboratory licensure, human clinical testing, use of tissue, privacy and data security, and marketing approval for our tests. These requirements vary by jurisdiction, differ from those in the United States and may require us to implement additional compliance measures or perform additional pre-clinical or clinical testing. In many countries outside of the United States, coverage, pricing and reimbursement approvals are also required. We are also required to maintain accurate information on and control over sales and distributors’ activities that may fall within the purview of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, its books and records provisions and its anti-bribery provisions, as well the UK Bribery Act and other anti-corruption laws.
HIPAA and Other Privacy Laws
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), which applies to health plans, healthcare clearing houses, and healthcare providers that conduct certain health care transactions electronically (Covered Entities) contains provisions that address the privacy and security of individually identifiable health information (called “protected health information” under HIPAA), the standardization of identifying numbers used in the healthcare system and the standardization of certain health care transactions. HIPAA's privacy regulations protect health information by limiting its use and disclosure to certain purposes, such as treatment or payment, without patient authorization. HIPAA also gives patients certain rights including the right to access their medical records and the right to an accounting of certain disclosures of protected health information. HIPAA's privacy rule also limits many disclosures of protected health information to the minimum amount necessary to accomplish an intended purpose. The HIPAA security standards require the adoption of administrative, physical, and technical safeguards for the protection of protected health information and the adoption of written security policies and procedures.
The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH) expanded and strengthened HIPAA, created new targets for enforcement, imposed new penalties for noncompliance and established new breach notification requirements for Covered Entities. Under HITECH’s breach notification requirements, Covered Entities must report breaches of protected health information that has not been encrypted or otherwise secured in accordance with guidance from the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Required breach notices must be made as soon as is reasonably practicable, but no later than 60 days following discovery of the breach. Reports must be made to affected individuals and to the Secretary and, in some cases depending on the size of the breach, they must be reported through local and national media. Breach reports can lead to investigation, enforcement, civil monetary penalties and civil litigation, including class action lawsuits and enforcement by state.
We are currently subject to the HIPAA regulations and maintain an active compliance program that is designed to meet requirements of the privacy and security rules and to identify privacy and security incidents and other issues in a timely fashion so that we may remediate, mitigate harm and report if required by law. However, even if we take steps to comply with HIPAA, we may be subject to complaints and investigation at the federal and/or state level. In the event of a breach, even if we mitigate harm and make required reports on a timely basis, we may still be subject to penalties for the underlying breach.
In addition to the federal privacy and security regulations, there are a number of state laws regarding the privacy and security of health information and personal data that can be applicable to our clinical laboratories, as further discussed in the "Risk Factor" section below. Many states have also implemented genetic testing laws imposing specific patient consent requirements and protecting genetic information by limiting the disclosure of such information. State requirements are particularly stringent regarding predictive genetic tests, due to the risk of genetic discrimination against healthy patients identified through testing as being at risk for disease. Compliance with health information privacy and security statutes and regulations, including genetic testing and genetic information privacy laws in all jurisdictions, both state and federal, can be challenging as these laws often change, and we may not be able to maintain compliance in all jurisdictions where we do business.
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Transparency Laws and Regulations
A federal law known as the Physician Payments Sunshine Act requires medical device manufacturers to track and report to CMS certain payments and other transfers of value made to covered recipients, which include physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, certified registered nurse anesthetists, and certified nurse-midwives who are not bona fide employees of the manufacturer, as well as teaching hospitals, and ownership or investment interests held by physicians and their immediate family members. Manufacturers must report data for the previous calendar year by the 90th day of the then-current calendar year. CMS then publishes the data on a publicly available website no later than June 30th. There are also state “sunshine” laws that require manufacturers to provide reports to state governments on pricing and marketing information. Several states have enacted legislation requiring medical device manufacturers to, among other things, establish marketing compliance programs, file periodic reports with the state, and make periodic public disclosures on sales and marketing activities, and such laws may also prohibit or limit certain other sales and marketing practices. These laws may adversely affect our sales, marketing, and other activities by imposing administrative and compliance burdens on us. If we fail to track and report as required by these laws or to otherwise comply with these laws, we could be subject to the penalty provisions of the pertinent state and federal authorities.
Reimbursement and Billing
Reimbursement and billing for diagnostic services is highly complex. Laboratories must bill various payors, such as private third-party payors, including managed care organizations (MCO), and state and federal health care programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid, and each may have different billing requirements. Additionally, the audit requirements imposed by these payors, as well as our internal compliance policies and procedures, add further complexity to the billing process. Other factors that complicate billing include:
• variability in coverage and information requirements among various payors;
• patient financial assistance programs;
• missing, incomplete or inaccurate billing information provided by ordering physicians;
• billings to payors with whom we do not have contracts;
• disputes with payors as to which party is responsible for payment; and
• disputes with payors as to the appropriate level of reimbursement.
Depending on the reimbursement arrangement and applicable law, the party that reimburses us for our tests may be:
• a third party who provides coverage to the patient, such as an MCO;
• a state or federal health care program; or
• the patient.
Presently, approximately 63% of our revenue comes from private third-party payors.
In April 2014, Congress passed the Protecting Access to Medicare Act of 2014 (PAMA), which included substantial changes to the way in which CMS pays for clinical laboratory services under Medicare’s Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule (CLFS). PAMA took effect on January 1, 2018 and requires applicable laboratories to report to CMS private insurer payment rates and volumes for their tests. CMS uses the data reported and the Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System code associated with the test to calculate a weighted median payment rate for each test, which is used to establish revised Medicare CLFS reimbursement rates for tests that are considered to be clinical diagnostic laboratory tests (CDLTs), subject to certain phase-in limits. For tests furnished on or after January 1, 2019, Medicare payments for CDLTs are based on reported private payor rates. For a CDLT that is assigned a new or substantially revised current procedural terminology (CPT) code, the initial payment rate is assigned using the gap-fill methodology, as under prior law.
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If the test falls into the category of new advanced diagnostic laboratory test (ADLT) instead of a CDLT, the test will be paid based on an actual list charge for an initial period of three quarters before being shifted to the weighted median private payor rate reported by the laboratory performing the ADLT. Laboratories offering ADLTs are subject to recoupment if the actual list charge exceeds the weighted median private payor rate by a certain amount. Accordingly, if newly developed tests receive Medicare coverage in the future, the reimbursement rate we receive for such tests may be affected by payment rates made by private payors for such tests.
On December 20, 2019, the President signed the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, which included the Laboratory Access for Beneficiaries Act (LAB Act). The LAB Act delayed until the first quarter of 2021 reporting of payment data under PAMA for CDLTs that are not ADLTs. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), which Congress passed in March 2020, again delayed the reporting by an additional year, this time until the first quarter of 2022. Then, on December 10, 2021, Congress passed the Protecting Medicare and American Farmers from Sequester Cuts Act, which included a provision that further delayed the next PAMA reporting period for CDLTs that are not ADLTs to January 1, 2023 through March 31, 2023. The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 enacted on December 29, 2022 again delayed the next PAMA reporting period to January 1, 2024 through March 31, 2024. New CLFS rates for CDLTs will be established based on that data beginning in 2025, subject to phase-in limits.
CMS’s methodology under PAMA (as well as the willingness of commercial insurers to recognize the value of diagnostic testing and pay for that testing accordingly) renders commercial insurer payment levels even more significant. This calculation methodology has resulted in significant reductions in reimbursement, even though CMS imposed caps on those reductions. For example, PAMA (as amended) includes provisions that limit the amount by which payment for testing may be reduced. For example, for 2018 through 2020, a test price could not be reduced by more than 10% per year. Reductions for 2023 through 2025 are limited to 15%. The CARES Act delayed for one year the 15% cut that was scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2021, and the Protecting Medicare and American Farmers from Sequester Cuts Act further delayed those cuts until 2023. The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, again delayed the cuts until 2024.
The subsequent data reporting period for CDLTs that are not ADLTs will occur in three-year cycles, with the next cycle beginning in 2027. Given the many uncertainties built into PAMA’s price-setting process, we cannot predict how payments we receive under the CLFS, and thus our revenue, may change from year to year.
The No Surprises Act was signed into law on December 27, 2020, as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021. The Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Treasury, and the Department of Labor have since released “Tri-Agency” regulations to implement the No Surprises Act, which became effective on January 1, 2022. The law and regulations generally apply to group health plans and health insurance issuers offering group or individual health insurance coverage for plan years starting January 1, 2022, and to certain health care providers and facilities. For non-emergency services provided by an out-of-network provider (such as a laboratory) during a visit at an in-network facility (which includes a hospital but not a physician office), the No Surprises Act requires the non-emergency services provider to hold a patient harmless for amounts beyond the in-network cost-sharing requirement. In other words, balance billing generally is prohibited. Because these billing requirements do not apply to patient specimens collected in a physician office, Myriad is impacted primarily when a patient’s specimen is collected at an in-network hospital, and Myriad is an out-of-network provider under the patient’s insurance plan. Out-of-network rates for covered services are determined by a state All-Payer Model Agreement, a specified state law, an agreed-upon amount, or, if none apply, an amount determined by an independent dispute resolution entity. The cost-sharing amount is limited to an amount determined by an All-Payor Model Agreement, a specified state law, or, if neither applies, the lesser of the billed charge or the “qualifying payment amount,” which is generally the plan or issuer’s median contracted rate for the same or similar service in the specific geographic area. Non-covered services are not impacted by these rules. In addition, providers, including Myriad, must post consumer notices on their website about the applicability of the law. Providers, including physician offices, must provide a good faith estimate of the cost of the service when requested by a patient who is uninsured or seeking to forgo insurance and pay cash instead.
Federal and State Fraud and Abuse Laws
A variety of state and federal laws prohibit fraud and abuse involving state and federal health care programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid. These laws are interpreted broadly and enforced aggressively by various state and federal agencies, including CMS, the Department of Justice, the Office of Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services (OIG), and various state agencies. In addition, the Medicare and Medicaid programs increasingly use a variety of contractors to review claims data and to identify improper payments as well as fraud and abuse. Any overpayments must be repaid within 60 days of identification unless a favorable decision is obtained on appeal. In some cases, these overpayments can be used as the basis for an extrapolation by which the error rate is applied to a larger set of claims, which can result in even higher repayments.
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Anti-Kickback Laws
The Anti-Kickback Statute prohibits, among other things, knowingly and willfully offering, paying, soliciting, or receiving remuneration, directly or indirectly, in exchange for or to induce either the referral of an individual, or the furnishing, arranging for or recommending of an item or service that is reimbursable, in whole or in part, by a federal health care program. “Remuneration” is broadly interpreted to include anything of monetary value, such as, for example, cash payments, gifts or gift certificates, discounts, or the furnishing of services, supplies or equipment.
Recognizing the potential breadth of interpretation of the Anti-Kickback Statute and the fact that it may technically prohibit many innocuous or beneficial arrangements within the healthcare industry, the OIG has promulgated safe harbors intended to protect such arrangements. Compliance with all requirements of a safe harbor immunizes the parties to the business arrangement from prosecution under the Anti-Kickback Statute. The failure of a business arrangement to fit within a safe harbor does not necessarily mean that the arrangement is illegal or that enforcement agencies will pursue prosecution. Still, in the absence of an applicable safe harbor, a violation of the Anti-Kickback Statute may occur even if only one purpose of an arrangement is to induce referrals. The penalties for violating the Anti-Kickback Statute can be severe. These sanctions include criminal and civil penalties, imprisonment and possible exclusion from federal health care programs. Many states have adopted laws similar to the Anti-Kickback Statute, and some apply to items and services reimbursable by any payor, including private third-party payors.
In addition, in October 2018, the Eliminating Kickbacks in Recovery Act of 2018 (EKRA), was enacted as part of the Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment for Patients and Communities Act (the SUPPORT Act). EKRA is an all-payor anti-kickback law that makes it a criminal offense to pay any remuneration to induce referrals to, or in exchange for, patients using the services of a recovery home, a substance use clinical treatment facility, or laboratory. Although it appears that EKRA was intended to reach patient brokering and similar arrangements to induce patronage of substance use recovery and treatment, the language in EKRA is broadly written. Further, certain of EKRA’s exceptions are inconsistent with the Anti-Kickback Statute regulations. Significantly, EKRA permits the U.S. Department of Justice to issue regulations clarifying EKRA’s exceptions or adding additional exceptions, but such regulations have not yet been issued. Further, there is no agency guidance and little court precedent to indicate how and to what extent EKRA will be applied and enforced.
Physician Self-Referral Bans
The federal ban on physician self-referrals, commonly known as the Stark Law, prohibits, subject to certain exceptions, physician referrals of Medicare patients to an entity providing certain designated health services, which include laboratory services, if the physician or an immediate family member of the physician has any financial relationship with the entity. Several Stark Law exceptions are relevant to arrangements involving clinical laboratories, including but not limited to: (1) fair market value compensation for the provision of items or services; (2) payments by physicians to a laboratory for clinical laboratory services; (3) space and equipment rental arrangements that satisfy certain requirements; and (4) personal services arrangements. Penalties for violating the Stark Law include the return of funds received for all prohibited referrals, fines, civil monetary penalties and possible exclusion from federal health care programs. In addition to the Stark Law, many states have their own self-referral bans, which may extend to all self-referrals, regardless of the payor.
State and Federal Prohibitions on False Claims
The federal False Claims Act imposes liability on any person or entity that, among other things, knowingly presents, or causes to be presented, a false or fraudulent claim for payment to the federal government. Under the False Claims Act, a person acts knowingly if he or she has actual knowledge of the information or acts in deliberate ignorance or in reckless disregard of the truth or falsity of the information. Specific intent to defraud is not required. The qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act allow a private individual to bring an action on behalf of the federal government and to share in any amounts paid by the defendant to the government in connection with the action. Penalties include payment of up to three times the actual damages sustained by the government, plus civil penalties of between $5,500 and $11,000 for each false claim, as well as possible exclusion from federal health care programs. However, the civil penalty amounts are adjusted annually for inflation. In addition, various states have enacted similar laws modeled after the False Claims Act that apply to items and services reimbursed under Medicaid and other state health care programs, and, in several states, such laws apply to claims submitted to any payor.
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Civil Monetary Penalties Law
The federal Civil Monetary Penalties Law (the CMP Law), prohibits, among other things, (1) the offering or transfer of remuneration to a Medicare or state health care program beneficiary if the person knows or should know it is likely to influence the beneficiary’s selection of a particular provider, practitioner, or supplier of services reimbursable by Medicare or a state health care program, unless an exception applies; (2) employing or contracting with an individual or entity that the provider knows or should know is excluded from participation in a federal health care program; (3) billing for services requested by an unlicensed physician or an excluded provider; and (4) billing for medically unnecessary services. The penalties for violating the CMP Law include exclusion, substantial fines, and payment of up to three times the amount billed, depending on the nature of the offense.
Other U.S. Regulatory Requirements
We are subject to laws and regulations related to the protection of the environment, the health and safety of employees and the handling, transportation and disposal of medical specimens, infectious and hazardous waste and radioactive materials. For example, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has established extensive requirements relating specifically to workplace safety for healthcare employers in the United States. This includes requirements to develop and implement multi-faceted programs to protect workers from exposure to blood-borne pathogens, including preventing or minimizing any exposure through needle stick injuries. For purposes of transportation, some biological materials and laboratory supplies are classified as hazardous materials and are subject to regulation by one or more of the following agencies: the U.S. Department of Transportation, the U.S. Public Health Service, the United States Postal Service, the Office of Foreign Assets Control, and the International Air Transport Association.
Our laboratories are subject to federal, state and local regulations relating to the handling and disposal of regulated medical waste, radioactive materials, hazardous waste and biohazardous waste, including chemical and biological agents and compounds, blood and bone marrow samples, and other human tissue. Typically, we use outside vendors who are contractually obligated to comply with applicable laws and regulations to dispose of such waste. These vendors are licensed or otherwise qualified to handle and dispose of such waste.
In addition, our advertising for laboratory services and LDTs that are not FDA-approved is subject to federal truth-in-advertising laws enforced by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), as well as certain state laws. Under the Federal Trade Commission Act, or FTC Act, the FTC is empowered, among other things, to prevent unfair methods of competition and unfair or deceptive acts or practices in or affecting commerce. The FTC has very broad enforcement authority, and failure to abide by the substantive requirements of the FTC Act and other consumer protection laws can result in administrative or judicial penalties, including civil penalties, injunctions affecting the manner in which we would be able to market services or certain products in the future, or criminal prosecution.
Change in Fiscal Year
Effective January 1, 2021, we changed our fiscal year end from the last day of June to a calendar fiscal year. The six month period that commenced on July 1, 2020 and ended on December 31, 2020 was a transition period and is referred to in this Annual Report on Form 10-K as the "transition period." References in this Annual Report on Form 10-K to “fiscal year” refer to years ended June 30th or December 31st, as applicable.
Available Information
We are a Delaware corporation with our principal executive offices located at 320 Wakara Way, Salt Lake City, Utah 84108. Our telephone number is (801) 584-3600 and our website address is www.myriad.com . We make available free of charge through the Investor Relations section of our website our Code of Conduct, our Audit and Finance Committee and other committee charters and our other corporate governance policies, as well as our Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K and all amendments to those reports as soon as reasonably practicable after such material is electronically filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Securities and Exchange Commission maintains an internet site ( http://www.sec.gov ) that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We include our website address in this Annual Report on Form 10-K only as an inactive textual reference and do not intend it to be an active link to our website.
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Text extracted from the filing as submitted to EDGAR. Formatting, tables and exhibits are simplified for reading; the original document is authoritative for anything you rely on.