Guardant Health has prematurely halted a trial for its minimum residual disease (MRD) blood test after reviewing interim analysis results. The COBRA study was assessing the efficacy of Guardant’s MRD blood test in enhancing outcomes for stage II colon cancer patients post-surgery. The test was designed to detect circulating tumor deoxyribonucleic acid to guide subsequent treatments.
Although specific data from the trial hasn’t been disclosed, Guardant’s shares dropped by approximately 13% following the news. The trial, initiated in collaboration with NRG Oncology in 2020, was based on evidence suggesting the LUNAR-1 blood test could pinpoint patients likely to benefit from post-surgery chemotherapy. Despite the trial’s early termination, Guardant remains confident in its MRD test, emphasizing the rapid advancements made since the study’s inception over four years ago. The company believes ongoing studies will further validate the efficacy of their current MRD tests in various settings.