DPYD kits recommended by NHS England

Yourgene Health plc

("Yourgene" or the "Group" or the "Company")

DPYD kits recommended by NHS England

Manchester, UK – 2 December 2020: Yourgene (AIM: YGEN), the international molecular diagnostics group, welcomes the Clinical Commissioning Urgent Policy Statement, published by NHS England, titled: ‘Pharmacogenomic testing for DPYD polymorphisms with fluoropyrimidine therapies’ recommending the routine availability of DPYD testing prior to the start of treatment with chemotherapeutic drug 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU), to identify the risk of severe side effects.

This statement supports the use of Yourgene’s oncology product, Elucigene DPYD* test, which is already routinely being used in Wales, as previously announced on 12 October 2020. There are seven Genomic testing hubs in the NHS and currently three out of the seven are using the Company’s DPYD kits.

The full report can be found here: NHS England » Clinical Commissioning Urgent Policy Statement: Pharmacogenomic testing for DPYD polymorphisms with fluoropyrimidine therapies

Lyn Rees, CEO of Yourgene, commented: “We are thrilled to see NHS England issue this statement, recommending that DPYD testing is routinely carried out prior to cancer treatment, highlighting the importance of such test and improving care for cancer patients. It’s rewarding to see this has been published so soon after becoming the sole supplier of DPYD in Wales and we look forward to seeing this market grow further.”

*Elucigene DPYD is a simple-to-use genotyping test that can identify cancer patients with Dihydropyrimidine Dehydrogenase (DPD) deficiency, which can cause severe and sometimes lethal side effects in patients being treated with chemotherapeutic drug 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU), commonly used in the treatment of colon, oesophageal, stomach, pancreatic, breast and cervical cancers. 5-FU is metabolized by the DPD enzyme which is encoded by the DPYD gene.