Vermillion Teams up With NASCAR Driver Martin Truex, Jr. and Partner Sherry Pollex, an Ovarian Cancer Thriver, to "Accelerate" the National Conversation about Ovarian Cancer and OVA1®
AUSTIN, Texas, Feb. 16, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Vermillion, Inc. (NASDAQ: VRML), a bio-analytical solutions company focused on gynecologic disease, today announced that NASCAR Sprint Cup Driver Martin Truex, Jr. and his longtime partner, Sherry Pollex, an ovarian cancer thriver, will be in the driver seats for the new OVA1® Awareness Team. Vermillion's OVA1® Awareness Team will ignite an ongoing dialogue about pelvic masses, the signs and symptoms of ovarian cancer, along with use of the OVA1® blood test. OVA1® is the first FDA-cleared blood test to evaluate the ovarian cancer risk of a pelvic mass. Sherry Pollex just finished her 17th and final chemotherapy treatment in January in her fight to beat stage three ovarian cancer.
"Sherry and I are focused on turning her ovarian cancer battle into a positive opportunity to educate other women who might have a pelvic mass invade their lives. Our energy off the track this season will be used to educate others about the signs and symptoms of a pelvic mass and ovarian cancer, as well as highlight the benefits of OVA1®. No other patient should "pinball" from doctor to doctor as Sherry did and delay a diagnosis. We are now focused on changing the face of ovarian cancer and how it is diagnosed," said Truex, Jr., who finished 4th in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship in 2015.
"Martin and I will use our racing platform to talk about pelvic mass evaluation so ovarian cancer can be diagnosed and treated earlier to save lives. OVA1's Celebrity Awareness Team allows us the opportunity to reach more women who might have a pelvic mass invade their lives as it did mine. Ovarian cancer crashed into my life in 2014. I had many persistent signs and symptoms from what my doctor thought to be normal ovarian cysts. Asking about ovarian cancer never crossed my mind because I didn't even know these symptoms were associated with it. In fact, I never thought it could even impact someone of my age. Awareness and risk assessment that includes OVA1 blood test should be recognized by doctors and women everywhere," said Pollex, ovarian cancer survivor and longtime girlfriend of Truex, Jr.
"When we first heard Sherry tell her story about her journey to a diagnosis, we immediately wanted to put her energy and passion to work! Sherry and Martin will accelerating "literally" the public awareness of our OVA1® solution," said Valerie Palmieri, President and CEO of Vermillion. "We are so proud to have Martin and Sherry as leaders on our OVA1® Awareness Team. Our end goal is to reach women, their families, and their medical community to have them stop and listen to their message. When a woman is told she has a pelvic mass and is planning surgery, the OVA1® blood test should be standard of care to drive treatment decisions and improve every woman's chance to beat this disease. Every pelvic mass is potentially serious, but the right diagnosis and treatment at the right time, could save a life."
Studies indicate one in five women will be diagnosed with a pelvic mass sometime during their life1. Many women pinball from doctor to doctor to determine their pelvic mass diagnosis while attributing many of their basic symptoms (bloating, feeling full after eating little, abdominal pain, bladder issues and unexplained weight loss) as typical female monthly discomfort. Learn more about the symptoms of pelvic mass at www.KnowPelvicMass.com.
About Vermillion, Inc.
Vermillion, Inc. is dedicated to the discovery, development and commercialization of novel high-value diagnostic and bio-analytical solutions that help physicians diagnose, treat and improve gynecologic health outcomes for women. Vermillion, along with its prestigious scientific collaborators, has diagnostic programs in gynecologic disease. The company's lead diagnostic in the United States, OVA1®, is a blood test for pre-surgical assessment of ovarian tumors for malignancy, using an innovative algorithmic approach and is available through Vermillion's wholly owned subsidiary, ASPiRA LABS. OVA1®, which was the first FDA-cleared, protein-based In Vitro Diagnostic Multivariate Index Assay, represents a new class of software-enabled Liquid Biopsy diagnostics. For additional information, including published clinical trials, visit www.vermillion.com.
About OVA1®
- OVA1® is a proprietary FDA-cleared blood test to help physicians assess the risk of ovarian cancer prior to surgery and as a result provide early detection and triage of high risk patients to a specialist (gynecologic oncologist) for surgical treatment
- The OvaCalc® proprietary algorithm combines five biomarker results into a single numerical "risk score" that stratifies patients into "higher risk" and "lower risk" when combined with clinical assessment
- In two pivotal clinical trials, OVA1® plus clinical impression detected 96% of all malignancies vs. 75% for clinical impression alone. It subsequently reduced false negatives from 25% to 4%, a reduction of 83%
- For early-stage cancers specifically, on average 31% are missed by clinical impression alone. This was reduced to 5% when OVA1® was added to clinical impression, a reduction of 85%
- Vermillion has developed a next-generation test, Overa, which is CE marked and is pending FDA clearance
About pelvic mass disease
Pelvic mass disease is defined as a pelvic mass, growth or tumor on the ovary or in the pelvis. A pelvic mass may be cystic (cystadenoma), solid (fibroma), or both (dermoid). A pelvic mass may be benign or malignant. Symptoms include bloating, fullness, pelvic or abdominal pain, frequent urination, difficulty eating. One in five women have pelvic masses or ovarian cysts at some point in their lives1. Most women are unaware of the occurrence of pelvic masses or ovarian cysts, as they may go away on their own during the menstrual cycle. If symptoms are persistent, they could be signs of ovarian cancer.
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1. Moore R, Bast Jr R. How do you distinguish a malignant pelvic mass from a benign pelvic mass? Imaging, biomarkers, or none of the above. J Clin Onc. 2007 Sept 20;25(27).
SOURCE Vermillion, Inc.
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