Monogram Biosciences, Inc., (Nasdaq: MGRM) Announce California Medicaid Coverage & Exclusive Collaboration on New HIV Drug Discovery

When will NYS Medicaid Establish Coverage for Trofile ??? California Medicaid Establishes Coverage for Trofile - Monogram Biosciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: MGRM - News) today announced that the California Medicaid program (Medi-Cal) has established coverage and reimbursement for Monogram's Trofile Assay. Trofile is now a covered benefit with 24 state Medicaid programs, including California, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, Ohio, Texas and Wisconsin. In addition, Trofile is a covered benefit by Medicare, the Veteran's Administration, the Corrections and Prison Systems and Department of Indian Affairs, as well as with a number of private payers. "Arrangements are now in place for processing samples from 12 countries, including Germany, the U.K. and Canada. expects approximately 40 countries worldwide by the end of the year." "Trofile has been used in all phase II and phase III trials of CCR5 antagonists to date, including those of Pfizer, Schering Plough and Incyte. We are continuing our leadership in tropism testing with our enhanced tropism assay." HERmark(TM) Breast Cancer Assay - We have continued to advance our HERmark clinical development programs. Monogram Biosciences and Avexa Announce Exclusive Collaboration to Support New HIV Drug Discovery and Development Efforts: "We are pleased to have selected Monogram as the exclusive provider of resistance tests for our development programs," said Julian Chick, Avexa's chief executive officer. "Monogram has an impressive portfolio of tests that we believe provide the accuracy and reliability that are necessary for studies that are intended to be submitted to the FDA and other regulatory agencies." "Monogram's phenotypic resistance tests to optimize background therapy helped contribute to successful clinical trials for both new HIV drugs approved by the FDA in 2007," said Bill Young, Monogram's chief executive officer. "We are delighted to work with Avexa on their exciting development programs, and to build international partnerships that bring truly global cooperation and innovation to the fight against HIV." As recommended by the U.S. FDA Antiviral Drugs Advisory Committee, biopharmaceutical companies are using HIV resistance testing technology to support and enhance next-generation HIV drug development. Monogram's proprietary technology is being applied to new HIV drug targets for screening and in subsequent clinical development programs for optimization of background therapy, patient monitoring and, in the case of CCR5 antagonists, for patient selection. About Monogram: Monogram is a biotechnology company advancing individualized medicine by discovering, developing and marketing innovative products to guide and improve treatment of serious infectious diseases and cancer. The Company's products are designed to help doctors optimize treatment regimens for their patients that lead to better outcomes and reduced costs. The Company's technology is also being used by numerous biopharmaceutical companies to develop new and improved antiviral therapeutics and vaccines as well as targeted cancer therapeutics. More information about the Company and its technology can be found on its web site at www.monogrambio.com. --------------------------------- Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now.