Fruth Pharmacy Expands Access to At-Home Colorectal Cancer Screening

Fruth Pharmacy, a family-owned regional pharmacy chain that’s been serving communities for more than 70 years, today announced it will begin providing ColoTest®, an FDA-cleared, over-the-counter (OTC) at-home Fecal Immunochemical Test (FIT) that identifies the presence of hidden blood in the stool in support of the early detection of colon cancer or gastrointestinal disorders such as colitis, diverticulitis, and polyps. ColoTest is manufactured by Reese Pharmaceutical and is now available in nearly two dozen Fruth Pharmacy stores across West Virginia and Ohio.

The vast majority of colon cancer-related deaths are thought to be preventable if caught early, and yet more than 29 million Americans are not screening for colorectal cancer. While colonoscopies are the gold standard of screening for colorectal cancer, only some people become eligible for the procedure before age 45 or may face other barriers, such as aversion to the test, lack of insurance coverage, or other issues.

Fruth Pharmacy now makes ColoTest available to its customers to help meet this challenge by delivering a convenient, affordable, non-invasive screening option that enables people to identify invisible blood in stool, a key warning sign for colorectal cancer, diverticulitis, gastrointestinal disorders, colitis, and polyps. This test is performed in the comfort of your own home with results at home as soon as 1 minute and does not require a prescription.

According to a recent report by the American Cancer Society, nearly double the number of young adults under 55 are being diagnosed with colorectal cancer compared to a decade ago, and colorectal cancer is now the leading cause of cancer deaths in men under the age of 50 (second in women under 50).

“Given the rise of colon cancer rates, particularly among younger Americans, it is more important than ever for people to screen for this cancer,” said Drew Massey, Director of Pharmacy at Fruth. “As a local family pharmacy, we have an opportunity to play an important role in our customers’ wellness and healthcare. We are pleased to collaborate with Reese Pharmaceutical to make this screening option available to our community, just in time for colorectal cancer awareness month.”

Every March, National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month spotlights colorectal cancer, the second deadliest cancer in the United States. The disease is highly treatable and often curable if caught early.

For more information on how ColoTest can be used for colorectal cancer screening, click here.