Plus Therapeutics Expands CNSide CSF Assay Coverage to 75 Million Lives with Highmark Deal
Event summary
- Plus Therapeutics' subsidiary CNSide Diagnostics secured a payer coverage agreement with Highmark, effective April 1, 2026.
- The deal expands CNSide's covered lives from 67 million to 75 million, supporting the company's 2026 goal of 150 million covered lives.
- Highmark joins United Healthcare and Humana in providing coverage for the CNSide CSF Tumor Cell Enumeration (TCE) assay.
- The assay has been used in over 11,000 tests since 2020, with 92% sensitivity and 95% specificity, influencing treatment decisions in 90% of cases.
The big picture
The Highmark agreement reinforces the growing recognition of CNSide's clinical and economic value among payers. This expansion aligns with broader industry trends toward earlier, more accurate detection of metastatic central nervous system cancers, potentially reducing healthcare costs by optimizing treatment. The deal also underscores the strategic importance of payer partnerships in scaling diagnostic adoption.
What we're watching
- Adoption Pace
- Whether the Highmark agreement will accelerate CNSide's adoption across oncology centers by reducing reimbursement barriers.
- Coverage Goals
- The pace at which Plus Therapeutics progresses toward its 2026 objective of 150 million covered lives.
- Clinical Impact
- How the expanded coverage will affect the real-world utilization of CNSide in detecting and monitoring leptomeningeal metastases.
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