Abbott today announced the U.S. commercial launch of SimpleScreen CRC, an FDA-approved blood-based colorectal cancer (CRC) screening test for adults age 45 and older who are at average risk for the disease.
Developed and manufactured by Freenome and exclusively commercialized by Abbott, SimpleScreen CRC joins the Cologuard Plus test in Abbott's colorectal cancer screening portfolio.
With Cologuard Plus, an American Cancer Society (ACS)-preferred stool-based screening option, and SimpleScreen CRC, a blood-based option for eligible adults who decline or do not complete preferred screening, Abbott provides tests that help healthcare providers match more patients with an appropriate screening option while keeping prevention and early detection at the forefront.
"We still see too many eligible patients who remain unscreened. Expanding the ways patients can participate in screening gives clinicians another opportunity to address those barriers," said Dr. Folasade May, director of quality in digestive diseases at UCLA Health and co-founder and board member of the Association of Black Gastroenterologists and Hepatologists, in a statement. "For someone who has declined or does not complete preferred approaches, the option of a blood draw may be what helps them finally take action. It can help us keep the conversation going and offer another path to screening."
