National physician group MDVIP partners with Navigenics

Navigenics is pleased to announce a new relationship with a national network of physicians who practice proactive, personalized medicine. Through the collaboration, the Navigenics genetic testing service will be made available to their patients, who number more than 100,000 nationwide. I’d like to share some of the information about this collaboration, as described in a news release issued today:

National Physician Group MDVIP Partners with Navigenics to Provide Personal Genetic Tests for Preventive Medicine Practice

Boca Raton, FL and Redwood Shores, CA – December 8 2008 – MDVIP, Inc., a leading national network of physicians dedicated to preventive and personalized healthcare, and Navigenics, Inc., a leading personal genomics testing company, today announced a first of its kind collaborative effort to integrate genomic-based preventive healthcare in physician offices. Through this initiative, Navigenics’ genomic testing service will be available to MDVIP affiliated physicians to help patients understand their genetic risk factors for disease and work with their doctors to develop individualized prevention plans.

Navigenics will provide MDVIP patients and their affiliated physicians with insight into their personal genetic predisposition for developing certain medical conditions where primary or secondary prevention could improve health outcomes. The Navigenics test will identify individuals’ genetic markers for developing such conditions as type 2 diabetes, cancer, heart attack, and celiac disease. Working with their personal MDVIP physician and Navigenics’ board-certified Genetic Counselors, individuals can chart and implement a personalized wellness course to help decrease their overall risk, delay disease onset or prevent it altogether.

“We have for many years been closely watching the field of genomic testing evolve into a tool that can enhance and inform the practice of preventive medicine,” said Edward Goldman, M.D., CEO of MDVIP. “We believe that Navigenics’ preventive genomics service has the potential to be an innovation that could significantly enhance patient care.”

“MDVIP physicians are national leaders in improving patients’ lives through leading-edge preventive medicine,” said Vance Vanier, M.D., Chief Medical Officer of Navigenics. “By thoughtfully incorporating genomic testing into their daily practice, these doctors will help to define the standards in which preventive genomic medicine will be integrated into patient care for decades to come.”

MDVIP and Navigenics spent six months studying the physician and patient experience of integrating preventive genomics in over forty clinical encounters. “The results were impressive,” said Dr. Goldman. “The patients overwhelmingly found the experience positive, they felt empowered rather than anxious, and they indicated a desire to change their lifestyles and more productively work with their physicians. We think there is tremendous value in bringing Navigenics’ responsible approach to incorporating this technology into patient care.”

Through this relationship, Navigenics’ genomic test will be offered as a service through many MDVIP practices. MDVIP consists of 280 primary care physicians who serve more than 100,000 patients nationwide. Interested patients will first learn more about the testing process in consultation with their personal physician and a board-certified genetic counselor. After providing a saliva sample, their DNA will be extracted in order to scan their genome and develop a personalized risk assessment.

“In my practice, patients are increasingly asking for more information about preventing disease, including what their genes might say about their personal risk factors,” said Dr. Andre Sanschagrin who participated in MDVIP’s pilot study. “The tools included in Navigenics’ service help me provide greater insight into what specific risks my patients may face, and help strengthen the physician-patient relationship as we work together to find ways to mitigate those risks. It really gives you a glimpse of how you can pull the future of medicine closer to today.”

ABOUT NAVIGENICS
Navigenics, Inc. is a privately held company based in Redwood Shores, Calif. The company was founded by David Agus, M.D. and Dietrich Stephan, Ph.D., with the goal of improving health outcomes in individuals across the population. Navigenics educates and empowers customers with knowledge of their genetic predispositions, and then motivates them to act on the information to prevent the onset of disease, achieve earlier diagnosis, appropriately manage disease, or otherwise lessen its impact. Navigenics’ lead investors are Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers, Sequoia Capital and MDV-Mohr Davidow Ventures. More information can be found at http://www.navigenics.com.

ABOUT MDVIP
MDVIP, Inc. is a privately-held firm, founded in 2000 and headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida. It is a national network of physicians, located in 25 States and the District of Columbia, who practice proactive, preventive and personalized healthcare, not just the detection and treatment of disease. With prevention as the cornerstone of its program, MDVIP has proven that it’s carefully chosen affiliated physicians provide exceptional care and achieve exceptional outcomes. These outcomes include lower hospitalization rates. For more information, go to http://www.mdvip.com.