FDA Grants Breakthrough Device Designation to Natera’s Signatera Test

SAN CARLOS, Calif., May 6, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ: NTRA) today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted "Breakthrough Device" designation for its Signatera™ test for use in the post-surgical detection and quantification of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) in the blood of patients previously diagnosed with certain types of cancer and in combination with certain drugs. The designation will help accelerate FDA assessment and review of Signatera as an in vitro diagnostic for use in pharmaceutical trials.

Signatera is the first ctDNA test custom-built for each patient based on the unique mutations in an individual patient’s tumor. Signatera has been shown in numerous clinical studies, across non-small cell lung, bladder, breast and colorectal cancers, to identify molecular residual disease significantly earlier (up to two years earlier) than standard imaging.^1-5 Studies have also shown that Signatera test status is the most significant predictor of long-term patient outcomes after surgery and treatment, relative to all other clinical and pathological factors.^1-5

"This Breakthrough Device designation is a significant step forward in our commercial strategy, helping to clear the path for Natera to participate in registrational drug trials that use Signatera for patient selection and study enrichment," said Solomon Moshkevich, Natera’s General Manager, Oncology and Transplant Businesses. "This milestone directly supports our stated goal of achieving $40 to $50 million in cumulative pharma contracts by the end of 2019."

"We are delighted to work with the FDA in the context of the Breakthrough Device program," said Steve Chapman, Natera’s CEO. "This designation validates our belief that Signatera will truly change the way cancer patients are diagnosed and treated, ultimately leading to better treatment decisions and improved clinical outcomes."

About Signatera™ 
Signatera is the first circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) test custom-built for molecular treatment monitoring and molecular residual disease (MRD) assessment. The test is available for research use only (RUO) until its clinical launch planned for Q2 2019. The Signatera methodology differs from currently available liquid biopsy tests, which test for a fixed panel of therapeutically relevant genes. Signatera provides each individual with a customized blood test tailored to match the clonal mutations found in that individual’s tumor tissue. This maximizes accuracy for detecting the presence or absence of MRD in a blood sample, even at levels down to a single mutant molecule in a tube of blood. Signatera also allows researchers to track additional mutations of interest, up to several hundred mutations, for clinical studies.

The body of evidence on the utility of Signatera is growing, with multiple studies demonstrating the Signatera RUO method’s ability to detect MRD, measure treatment response, and identify recurrence months or years earlier than the standard of care for a variety of cancer types, including breast cancer, early stage non-small cell lung cancer, bladder cancer, and colorectal cancer.^1-5 Based on numerous studies across multiple cancer types, a positive Signatera RUO result without further treatment has predicted clinical relapse over 98 percent of the time.^1-5

About Natera
Natera is a global leader in cell-free DNA testing. The mission of the company is to change the management of disease worldwide with a focus on reproductive health, oncology, and organ transplantation. Natera operates an ISO 13485-certified and CAP-accredited laboratory certified under the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) in San Carlos, Calif. It offers a host of proprietary genetic testing services to inform physicians who care for pregnant women, researchers in cancer including biopharmaceutical companies, and genetic laboratories through its cloud-based software platform. For more information, visit Natera.com. Follow Natera on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Forward-Looking Statements
All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this press release are forward-looking statements and are not a representation that Natera’s plans, estimates, or expectations will be achieved. These forward-looking statements represent Natera’s expectations as of the date of this press release, and Natera disclaims any obligation to update the forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially, including with respect to our efforts to develop and commercialize new product offerings, our ability to successfully increase demand for and grow revenues for our product offerings, our collaborations with commercial partners such as medical institutions, contract laboratories, laboratory partners, and other third parties, whether the results of clinical studies will support the use of our product offerings, our expectations of the reliability, accuracy and performance of our screening tests, or of the benefits of our screening tests and product offerings to patients, providers and payers. Additional risks and uncertainties are discussed in greater detail in "Risk Factors" in Natera’s recent filings on Forms 10-K and 10-Q and in other filings Natera makes with the SEC from time to time. These documents are available at www.natera.com/investors and www.sec.gov.

This test was developed by Natera, Inc. a laboratory certified under the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA). This test has not been cleared or approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Although FDA does not currently clear or approve laboratory-developed tests in the U.S., certification of the laboratory is required under CLIA to ensure the quality and validity of the tests.

Contacts
Investor Relations: Mike Brophy, CFO, Natera, Inc., 650-249-9090
Media: Andrea Sampson, Sullivan & Sampson, 714-374-6174, asampson@sullivanpr.com

References

1. Coombes RC, Page K, Salari R, et al. Personalized detection of circulating tumor DNA antedates breast cancer metastatic recurrence. Clin Cancer Res. 2019.
2. Magbanua M, Brown-Swigart L, Hirst G, et al. Personalized serial circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) analysis in high-risk early stage breast cancer patients to monitor and predict response to neoadjuvant therapy and outcome in the I-SPY 2 TRIAL. Data presented at spotlight session: San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; December 5, 2018. Abstract 1259
3. Birkenkamp-Demtröder K, Christensen E, Sethi H, et al. Sequencing of plasma cfDNA from patients with locally advanced bladder cancer for surveillance and therapeutic efficacy monitoring. Poster presented at: European Society for Medical Oncology Annual Congress; October 20, 2018; Munich, Germany. Abstract 86P.
4. Reinert T, Henriksen TV, Rasmussen MH, et al. Serial circulating tumor DNA analysis for detection of residual disease, assessment of adjuvant therapy efficacy and for early recurrence detection in colorectal cancer. Poster presented at: European Society for Medical Oncology Annual Congress; October 21, 2018; Munich, Germany. Abstract 456PD.
5. Abbosh C, Birkbak NJ, Wilson GA, et al. Phylogenetic ctDNA analysis depicts early-stage lung cancer evolution. Nature. 2017; 545(7655):446–451.

SOURCE Natera