Qiagen’s Digene HPV test shows benefits in new study

Qiagen has highlighted data from a new study showing the superior sensitivity benefits of its Digene Hybrid Capture 2 human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA Test.

The recently published research from the Mayo Clinic compared three screening tests approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for HPV among 350 women with inconclusive or abnormal Pap smear tests, using biopsy results as the reference standard.

Qiagen's product detected 97.5 percent of moderate-to-severe HPV infections, compared to 91.4 per cent for the other two approved tests. It also demonstrated the highest sensitivity in ruling out HPV disease, which can cause potentially deadly cervical cancer.

This suggests the product remains the gold standard in clinical screening for HPV infections.

Dr Tadd Lazarus, chief medical officer of Qiagen, said: "The Digene HPV test is the world's most proven tool for sensitive early detection of high-risk HPV, and the latest study confirms the benefits which are demonstrated in more than 300 previous peer-reviewed articles."

The company experienced a strong performance in the first half of 2014, delivering sales growth in all regions along with improved profitability.