Dr. David Ahlquist, co-inventor of Cologuard, named a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors

MADISON, Wis. and ROCHESTER, Minn., Dec. 4, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Exact Sciences Corp. (NASDAQ: EXAS) today announced Dr. David Ahlquist, co-inventor of Cologuard^® and emeritus professor of medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at Mayo Clinic, has been named a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI).  Ahlquist's work has helped more than 3 million people get screened noninvasively for colorectal cancer with Cologuard.

The NAI recognized Ahlquist for the impact of his career and inventions. He holds 42 issued patents in the areas of colorectal cancer screening and neoplasm detection.

The NAI Fellows Program highlights academic inventors responsible for creating or facilitating inventions that have made a tangible impact on the quality of life, economic development, and the welfare of society.

"From our first meeting 10 years ago, Dr. Ahlquist and the Mayo Clinic team focused on the power of cancer screening and early detection," said Kevin Conroy, chairman and CEO of Exact Sciences. "Dr. Ahlquist's vision led the way in achieving what many people thought was impossible — creating a noninvasive, highly-sensitive, and patient-friendly colon cancer screening test."

The 2019 Fellow class represents 136 research universities, governmental, and non-profit research institutes worldwide. The Fellows collectively hold more than 3,500 issued U.S. patents.

Media Contact:
Cara Connelly, cconnelly@exactsciences.com, 614-302-5622

Investor Contact:
Megan Jones, meganjones@exactsciences.com, 608-535-8815

About Exact Sciences Corp.
A leading provider of cancer screening and diagnostic tests, Exact Sciences relentlessly pursues smarter solutions providing the clarity to take life-changing action, earlier. Building on the success of Cologuard and Oncotype DX, Exact Sciences is investing in its product pipeline to take on some of the deadliest cancers and improve patient care. Exact Sciences unites visionary collaborators to help advance the fight against cancer. For more information, please visit the company's website at www.exactsciences.com, follow Exact Sciences on Twitter @ExactSciences or find Exact Sciences on Facebook.

About Cologuard
Cologuard was approved by the FDA in August 2014, and results from Exact Sciences' prospective 90-site, point-in-time, 10,000-patient pivotal trial were published in the New England Journal of Medicine in March 2014. Cologuard is included in the American Cancer Society's (2018) colorectal cancer screening guidelines and the recommendations of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (2016) and National Comprehensive Cancer Network (2016). Cologuard is indicated to screen adults 45 years of age and older who are at average risk for colorectal cancer by detecting certain DNA markers and blood in the stool. Do not use Cologuard if you have had precancer, have inflammatory bowel disease and certain hereditary syndromes, or have a personal or family history of colorectal cancer. Cologuard is not a replacement for colonoscopy in high risk patients. Cologuard performance in adults ages 45-49 is estimated based on a large clinical study of patients 50 and older. Cologuard performance in repeat testing has not been evaluated.

The Cologuard test result should be interpreted with caution. A positive test result does not confirm the presence of cancer. Patients with a positive test result should be referred for diagnostic colonoscopy. A negative test result does not confirm the absence of cancer. Patients with a negative test result should discuss with their doctor when they need to be tested again. False positives and false negative results can occur. In a clinical study, 13% of people without cancer or precancer received a positive result (false positive) and 8% of people with cancer received a negative result (false negative).

Medicare and most major insurers cover Cologuard. For more information about Cologuard, visit www.cologuardtest.com. Rx Only.

Forward-Looking Statements
This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, that are intended to be covered by the "safe harbor" created by those sections.  Forward-looking statements, which are based on certain assumptions and describe our future plans, strategies and expectations, can generally be identified by the use of forward-looking terms such as "believe," "expect," "may," "will," "should," "would," "could," "seek," "intend," "plan," "goal," "project," "estimate," "anticipate" or other comparable terms.  All statements other than statements of historical facts included in this news release regarding our strategies, prospects, financial condition, operations, costs, plans and objectives are forward-looking statements. Examples of forward-looking statements include, among others, statements we make regarding expected future operating results, anticipated results of our sales, marketing and patient adherence efforts, expectations concerning payer reimbursement, the anticipated results of our product development efforts and the anticipated benefits of our acquisition of Genomic Health, including estimated synergies and other financial impacts.  Forward-looking statements are neither historical facts nor assurances of future performance. Instead, they are based only on our current beliefs, expectations and assumptions regarding the future of our business, future plans and strategies, projections, anticipated events and trends, the economy and other future conditions. Because forward-looking statements relate to the future, they are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict and many of which are outside of our control. Our actual results and financial condition may differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements. Therefore, you should not rely on any of these forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause our actual results and financial condition to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements include, among others, the following: our ability to successfully and profitably market our products and services; the acceptance of our products and services by patients and healthcare providers; our ability to meet demand for our products and services; the willingness of health insurance companies and other payers to cover our products and services and adequately reimburse us for such products and services; the amount and nature of competition from other cancer screening and diagnostic products and services; the effects of the adoption, modification or repeal of any law, rule, order, interpretation or policy relating to the healthcare system, including without limitation as a result of any judicial, executive or legislative action; the effects of changes in pricing, coverage and reimbursement for our products and services, including without limitation as a result of the Protecting Access to Medicare Act of 2014; recommendations, guidelines and quality metrics issued by various organizations such as the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, the American Cancer Society, and the National Committee for Quality Assurance regarding cancer screening or our products and services; our ability to successfully develop new products and services and assess potential market opportunities; our ability to effectively utilize strategic partnerships, such as through our Promotion Agreement with Pfizer, Inc., and acquisitions; our success establishing and maintaining collaborative, licensing and supplier arrangements; our ability to maintain regulatory approvals and comply with applicable regulations;  expectations regarding our international expansion and opportunities; the potential effects of foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations and our efforts to hedge such effects; the possibility that the anticipated benefits from our acquisition of Genomic Health cannot be realized in full or at all or may take longer to realize than expected; the possibility that costs or difficulties related to the integration of Genomic Health's operations will be greater than expected; the outcome of any litigation, government investigations, enforcement actions or other legal proceedings; and the other risks and uncertainties described in the Risk Factors and in Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations sections of our most recently filed Annual Report on Form 10-K and our subsequently filed Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether written or oral, that may be made from time to time, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.

About the National Academy of Inventors
The National Academy of Inventors is a member organization comprising U.S. and international universities, and governmental and non-profit research institutes, with over 4,000 individual inventor members and Fellows spanning more than 250 institutions worldwide. It was founded in 2010 to recognize and encourage inventors with patents issued from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), enhance the visibility of academic technology and innovation, encourage the disclosure of intellectual property, educate and mentor innovative students, and translate the inventions of its members to benefit society. The NAI has a close collaborative relationship with the USPTO and is one of three honorific organizations, along with the National Medals and National Inventors Hall of Fame, working closely with the USPTO on many discovery and innovation support initiatives. The NAI publishes the multidisciplinary journal, Technology and Innovation. www.academyofinventors.org  

View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/dr-david-ahlquist-co-inventor-of-cologuard-named-a-fellow-of-the-national-academy-of-inventors-300969465.html

SOURCE EXACT SCIENCES CORP