Expansion of OBD/Bupa UK insurance partnership
13 March 2025
Oxford BioDynamics
("OBD" or the "Company" and, together with its subsidiaries, the "Group")
Bupa UK insurance to cover Oxford BioDynamics' EpiSwitch® PSE prostate cancer test
· Bupa UK insurance customers with a raised PSA level and no additional high risk factors or symptoms will now be covered for PSE, a smart blood test which accurately predicts the presence or absence of prostate cancer
· Expansion of OBD/Bupa UK insurance partnership beyond existing coverage of CiRT significantly enhances access to PSE in the UK
· Coverage for both OBD's PSE and CiRT3 tests reflects Bupa's commitment to leveraging advanced precision medicine testing to transform cancer care
Oxford, UK - 13 March 2025 - Oxford BioDynamics Plc (AIM: OBD), a precision clinical diagnostics company bringing specific and sensitive tests to the practice of medicine based on its EpiSwitch® 3D genomics platform, and Bupa announce an expanded strategic agreement to give its health insurance customers access to OBD's EpiSwitch PSE prostate cancer detection test. Bupa is a leading health insurer in the UK with around 3.9m customers.
Robin Clark, Medical Director for Bupa Insurance, said: "We're pleased to partner with Oxford BioDynamics to cover the advanced EpiSwitch PSE test. The PSE provides a more accurate path to diagnosing prostate cancer, where getting an early diagnosis can make the disease nearly completely survivable. Offering the PSE and CiRT tests reflects our commitment to leverage the most advanced precision medicine testing to provide doctors with the tools they need to make informed decisions."
Under this new agreement, the PSE test will be funded for Bupa health insurance customers with a raised prostate-specific antigen level and no additional high-risk factors or urinary symptoms.
The EpiSwitch PSE is OBD's validated, rapid, highly accurate blood test for prostate cancer (accuracy 94%, specificity 97%, sensitivity 86%)1, significantly boosting the accuracy of PSA alone. Crucially, the positive predictive value (PPV) of PSE is 93%, compared to just 25% for PSA. PSA's low PPV is one of the main arguments against using it as a population-wide screening test. About 25% of men with a raised PSA will go on to be diagnosed with prostate cancer. With the PSE, more than 9 out of every 10 men who receive a positive "high likelihood" PSE will go on to have a confirmatory biopsy1. This level of performance can reduce the total number of men who do not have prostate cancer being referred for unnecessary MRI scans and invasive biopsies2. These clinical results are supported by an accumulation of real-world evidence related to the clinical utility.
Iain Ross, Executive Chairman of OBD, said: "Joining forces with a pioneering healthcare insurer like Bupa ensures that more men have access to an accurate diagnosis by using the EpiSwitch PSE test. Prostate Cancer is the most common cancer in men in the UK, and yet there is currently no nationwide screening programme due to limitations of current testing modalities. With its high accuracy and PPV, EpiSwitch PSE can be integrated into existing pathways to more precisely direct individuals toward further expensive and invasive diagnostics and treatments. We remain focused on forging strategic partnerships to build on this momentum and continue to drive value."
- Ends -
References
1: Pchejetski D., et al. Cancers (2023). https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers15030821
2: Prostate Cancer Research, Landmark Report into Prostate Cancer Screening (2024). www.prostate-cancer-research.org.uk/PFYP/
3. Oxford BioDynamics PLC (Oct 2023), Bupa UK to cover EpiSwitch® CiRT for customers with cancer
For more information:
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Oxford BioDynamics PLC Iain Ross Executive Chairman Paul Stockdale, CFO
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+44 (0)1865 518910 |
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Shore Capital - Nominated Adviser and Joint Broker Broking: Fiona Conroy
OAK Securities - Joint Broker Jerry Keen / Henry Clarke / Damion Carruel
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+44 (0)20 7408 4090 |
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WG Partners - Joint Broker David Wilson / Claes Spång / Satheesh Nadarajah / Erland Sternby
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+44 (0)20 3705 9330 |
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Camarco - Financial PR
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+44 (0)20 3757 4980 OBDFinancial@camarco.co.uk |
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Notes for Editors
About Oxford BioDynamics Plc
Oxford BioDynamics Plc (AIM: OBD) is an international biotechnology company, advancing personalized healthcare by developing and commercializing precision clinical diagnostic tests for life-changing diseases.
Currently OBD has two commercially available products: the EpiSwitch® PSE (EpiSwitch Prostate Cancer Detection Test) and EpiSwitch® CiRT (Checkpoint Inhibitor Response Test) blood tests. PSE boosts the predictive accuracy of a PSA test from 55% to 94% when testing the presence or absence of prostate cancer. CiRT is a highly accurate (85%) predictive response test to immuno-oncology checkpoint inhibitor treatments.
The tests are based on OBD's proprietary 3D genomic biomarker platform, EpiSwitch® which enables screening, evaluation, validation and monitoring of biomarkers to diagnose patients or determine how individuals might respond to a disease or treatment.
OBD's clinical smart tests have the potential to be used across a broader range of indications, and new tests are being developed in the areas of oncology, neurology, inflammation, hepatology and animal health.
The Group's headquarters and UK laboratories are in Oxford, UK. Its US operations and clinical laboratory are in Maryland, USA, along with a reference laboratory in Penang, Malaysia.
OBD is listed on the London Stock Exchange's AIM (LSE: OBD). For more information, please visit the Company's website, www.oxfordbiodynamics.com, X (@OxBioDynamics) or LinkedIn.
About Bupa Global, India & UK
Bupa's purpose is helping people live longer, healthier, happier lives and making a better world. Health insurance accounts for a large part of our business with Bupa UK Insurance, the UK's leading health insurer, providing health and dental cover to over 3.9 million people. Bupa Global is the premium health insurance arm of Bupa, serving 360,000 customers around the world. Niva Bupa is a leading provider of health insurance and retail health insurance in India, with 15.4 million customers. Bupa Dental Care is the leading provider of dentistry in the UK, providing dental services in around 400 centres across the UK and Ireland. Bupa Care Services has around 7000 residents in over 116 care homes, and 10 Richmond care villages. Bupa Health Services comprises 79 health clinics, and the Cromwell Hospital in London which provides care for insured, self-pay and international patients.
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