Biodesix’ VeriStrat Test Now Covered By Humana, Medical Mutual of Ohio, PreferredOne

Proprietary, blood-based molecular diagnostic test now widely available for patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer

October 31, 2016, Boulder, Colorado…Biodesix® announced today that Humana, Medical Mutual of Ohio and PreferredOne health plans have established reimbursement coverage of the VeriStrat^® test, Biodesix’ proteomic blood test for patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). VeriStrat has received positive coverage decisions from Humana, Medical Mutual of Ohio, and Preferred One and as a result of these coverage changes, an additional 11.5 million Americans now have insurance coverage for VeriStrat.

VeriStrat results provide physicians with prognostic and predictive information to inform treatment of advanced NSCLC, and can facilitate patient-physician conversations about prognosis, life expectancy, and treatment recommendations. The test is clinically proven for use in patients with advanced NSCLC and has been recommended as such in the standard of care guidelines since late 2014.  VeriStrat is often used by physicians as part of the Biodesix Lung Reflex™ testing strategy, which combines genomic mutation testing and proteomic testing to provide more complete information on tumor mutation status as well as the patient’s immune response to the tumor.

Based on published clinical data, Humana, Medical Mutual of Ohio and PreferredOne independently determined and published policy stating that VeriStrat can be considered medically necessary for patients with advanced NSCLC.

• Humana, Inc. (NYSE: HUM) is a national provider of healthcare, with 9.6 million enrolled members according to their website. Humana’s policy, “Pharmacogenomics and Companion Diagnostics” is effective as of 8/25/16 and can be accessed at: http://dctm.humana.com/Mentor/Web/v.aspx?chronicleID=0900092981a619a0&

• Medical Mutual, a privately owned, not-for-profit, member-owned mutual company with 1.6 million enrolled members, is the oldest and largest health insurance company headquartered in Ohio. The company’s policy, “Genetic testing and Genetic Counseling General Policy” is effective as of 10/14/2016, and can be accessed at: https://provider.medmutual.com/TOOLS_and_RESOURCES/Care_Management/MedPolicies/PDF/201303.pdf

• PreferredOne is a privately owned company with 285,000 members in the state of Minnesota. The company’s policy, “Molecular Testing: Tumor/Neoplasm Biomarkers,” is effective as of 9/13/2016 and can be accessed at: https://www.preferredone.com/shared/medicalpolicy/medicalpolicyactive/mp_m001.pdf

VeriStrat and Biodesix are registered trademarks of Biodesix, Inc.  All other trademarks referenced herein are the property of their respective owners.

About Biodesix
Biodesix^® is a molecular diagnostics company advancing the development of innovative blood tests in oncology to enable precision medicine. Biodesix discovers, develops and commercializes multivariate protein and genomic diagnostic blood tests, including the GeneStrat^® and VeriStrat^® tests that deliver results within 72 hours. The company is changing the standard of care by providing physicians with diagnostic tests for better therapeutic guidance, more accurate prognosis and enhanced disease monitoring to improve patient outcomes. At the forefront of precision medicine, Biodesix is developing new blood tests to identify patients who may benefit from immunotherapies. In addition to developing novel diagnostics independently, the company partners with biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies to develop companion diagnostics for use with therapeutic agents.