IRVINE & TEMPLE CITY, Calif.– Helio Health (“Helio”) and its commercial partner, Fulgent Genetics, Inc. (NASDAQ: FLGT) (“Fulgent”), today announced the commercial launch of HelioLiver™, a multi-analyte blood test that incorporates cell free DNA (cfDNA) methylation patterns and serum protein markers for the detection of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) – the most common form of liver cancer. HelioLiver can detect HCC at its earliest stages when lesions are still very small, an area where traditional standard-of-care imaging tools often fall short, with the potential to enable more curative treatment options known to increase five-year survival rates by up to 13 times compared to when cancer has metastasized.1,2
Recent data presented at The Liver Meeting® 2021 outlined HelioLiver’s superior sensitivity over currently available blood-based tests. With a specificity of 91%, HelioLiver demonstrated 76% sensitivity in detecting early-stage HCC, significantly outperforming other detection tools such as AFP (57%), GALAD (65%), and ultrasound (47%).3,4
“We are excited to offer patients at high risk of developing liver cancer a convenient and sensitive serial testing option to catch cancer early when it counts the most,” said Justin Chen Li, U.S. Chief Executive Officer, Helio Health. “We are proud to partner with Fulgent to launch this innovative, simple, and reliable test that has the potential to redefine the future of cancer testing and foster better patient outcomes.”
HelioLiver offers a simplified process for patients with a blood draw that can be conducted during a routine check-up, providing a quick and accurate way to receive regular surveillance for people at risk of developing liver cancer. While the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) guidelines recommend ultrasound screening every six months for patients who are at risk, studies have shown that as few as 20% of patients actually receive regular surveillance due to the inconvenience of accessing testing via ultrasound.5 Helio believes this number can dramatically increase with this new, blood-based test.
“Through our partnership with Helio, our joint priority is to bring HelioLiver to providers and patients in a seamless manner,” said Brandon Perthuis, Chief Commercial Officer, Fulgent Genetics. “Leveraging our extensive commercial infrastructure, we are well-positioned to deliver an easy ordering experience for providers with our representatives at the ready to provide the best-in-class white glove service throughout the entire experience.”
