Camille Schrier, Miss America 2020, and Castle Biosciences Partner to Expand Awareness of Genetic Testing in Depression and Anxiety

By: Castle Biosciences, Inc. via Business Wire

May 06, 2022 at 07:00 AM EDT

To kick off Mental Health Awareness Month, Schrier shares her story on how genetic testing and the IDgenetix® test can help match genes with medications to improve treatment outcomes

Castle Biosciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: CSTL), a company improving health through innovative tests that guide patient care, today announced a collaboration with Camille Schrier, Miss America 2020, to promote the potential of genetic testing and the IDgenetix® test to help improve treatment for mental health conditions. The Company recently added IDgenetix, a pharmacogenomic (PGx) test for mental health conditions, to its portfolio of commercial tests.

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Camille Schrier, Miss America 2020 and Doctor of Pharmacy Candidate at Virginia Commonwealth University (Photo: Business Wire)

Schrier has long suffered from anxiety and depression, and from a genetic condition that causes chronic pain. She has been taking antidepressant drugs for more than a decade, but results from an IDgenetix test showed that the dose of her current medication could be improved; she is now working with her clinician to find the best course of action. “IDgenetix has given me new hope for easing what has been a lifelong struggle,” said Schrier.

Started by the Mental Health America organization in 1949, Mental Health Awareness Month is designed to help increase awareness of the importance of mental health and wellness in the U.S. Yet, anxiety and depression rates continue to increase.¹ To support this annual event, and promote education and advocacy for mental health awareness, Schrier will chronicle her journey by describing the changes in her medication based on the IDgenetix test and how those changes have affected her symptoms and her life.

“This campaign seeks to help patients suffering from depression, anxiety and other mental health conditions to improve their chances of a beneficial medication response,” Schrier continued. “IDgenetix is unique in that it is designed to account not only for genetic variants, but also for interactions with multiple medications.”

In a randomized controlled trial, patients diagnosed with depression who were assessed with the IDgenetix test showed a >2.5 times improvement in remission rates compared to those who did not have their genes tested with IDgenetix. The test is designed to identify genes shown to determine how quickly or slowly the body processes certain medications. IDgenetix also assesses possible drug-drug interactions, which is incorporated into the test’s bioinformatics analysis. Using the IDgenetix test report, doctors may be able to more precisely tailor treatments to individual patients, rather than relying on trial and error, thus potentially reducing the chances of side effects or ineffective treatments.

“We are thrilled Camille has agreed to collaborate with Castle for the benefit of patients suffering with mental health conditions,” said Derek Maetzold, president and chief executive officer of Castle Biosciences. “Camille’s personal story as both a patient with depression and future pharmacist makes her a powerful advocate. She will help us spread our message of hope to millions of patients who may suffer from unresolved symptoms, while educating physicians looking to precision medicine to move past trial and error and potentially improve chances of response or remission.”

About IDgenetix®

IDgenetix is a pharmacogenomic (PGx) test for depression, anxiety and other mental health conditions designed to analyze a patient’s genetic make-up to guide timely and evidence-based decisions on the optimal drug for each patient. IDgenetix is designed to provide important genetic information to clinicians to help guide personalized treatment plans for their patients, with the potential to help patients achieve a faster therapeutic response and improve their chances of remission by identifying appropriate medications more efficiently than the standard of care trial-and-error approach. IDgenetix provides drug-drug and drug-gene interactions and is supported by a published, peer-reviewed randomized controlled trial that demonstrated clinical utility over the standard of care when physicians used IDgenetix prior to prescribing a medication. IDgenetix is currently reimbursed by Medicare for the following eight mental health conditions: major depressive disorder, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders, panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive personality disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

To learn more, please visit www.IDgenetix.com and connect with us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

About Castle Biosciences

Castle Biosciences (Nasdaq: CSTL) is a leading diagnostics company improving health through innovative tests that guide patient care. The Company aims to transform disease management by keeping people first: patients, clinicians, employees and investors.

Castle’s current portfolio consists of tests for skin cancers, uveal melanoma, Barrett’s esophagus and mental health conditions. Additionally, the Company has active research and development programs for tests in other diseases with high clinical need, including its test in development to predict systemic therapy response in patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis, atopic dermatitis and related conditions. To learn more, please visit www.CastleBiosciences.com and connect with us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

DecisionDx-Melanoma, DecisionDx-CMSeq, DecisionDx-SCC, myPath Melanoma, DecisionDx DiffDx-Melanoma, DecisionDx-UM, DecisionDx-PRAME, DecisionDx-UMSeq, TissueCypher and IDgenetix are trademarks of Castle Biosciences, Inc.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press 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, which are subject to the “safe harbor” created by those sections. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements concerning: the ability of IDgenetix to enable doctors to more precisely tailor treatments to individual patients, and reduce the chances of side effects or ineffective treatments by helping match genes with medications to improve treatment outcomes for mental health conditions; and anticipated benefits of the partnership discussed in this press release contributing to awareness and education for patients and physicians encountering unresolved symptoms and helping improve chances of response or remission for mental health conditions. The words “can,” “may,” “will,” “potential” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. We may not actually achieve the plans, intentions or expectations disclosed in our forward-looking statements, and you should not place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements. Actual results or events could differ materially from the plans, intentions and expectations disclosed in the forward-looking statements that we make. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements, including, without limitation: the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business and our efforts to address its impact on our business; subsequent study or trial results and findings may contradict earlier study or trial results and findings, including with respect to the IDgenetix test discussed in this press release; actual application of our tests, including IDgenetix, may not provide the potential benefits contemplated in this press release; and the risks set forth under the heading “Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended Dec. 31, 2021, and in our other filings with the SEC. The forward-looking statements are applicable only as of the date on which they are made, and we do not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, except as may be required by law.

¹World Health Organization: https://www.who.int/news/item/02-03-2022-covid-19-pandemic-triggers-25-increase-in-prevalence-of-anxiety-and-depression-worldwide; accessed May 4, 2022