cancer, viruses, Life Sciences

Hologic Gets FDA Nod for HPV Tests

Ryan McBride 3/13/09

Hologic (NASDAQ:HOLX), a Bedford, MA-based provider of women’s healthcare products, says that the FDA has approved two of its “Cervista” tests for detecting human papillomavirus (HPV), a major cause of cervical cancer. One of the tests is intended to identify 14 “high-risk” strains of HPV, according to the firm, and the other test is designed to detect two strains that are linked to 70 percent of cases of cervical cancer in the U.S. Late this morning the firm’s stock had jumped 82 cents per share, or 7.75 percent, to $11.40, on the news.

Ryan McBride is Xconomy's correspondent. You can reach him at rmcbride@xconomy.com, or follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/Ryan_McBride.