OVA1T, the first blood test cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for aiding in the pre-surgical evaluation of a woman's ovarian mass for cancer, is now available nationally through Quest Diagnostics Inc. With the availability of OVA1, physicians can assess, prior to a planned surgery, the likelihood that a woman's ovarian mass is malignant in order to direct her to the most appropriate surgeon, promoting more favorable treatment outcomes. Vermillion Inc. developed the test in cooperation with Quest Diagnostics. OVA1 is the first FDA-cleared protein-based in vitro diagnostic multi-variate index assays (IVDMIA), a new class of state-of-the-art software-based diagnostics. The test combines the results of five well-established protein biomarkers to produce a single numerical result to help a physician classify the likelihood that a woman's mass is cancerous or benign. In a prospective clinical study, OVA1, when combined with pre-surgical clinical and radiological assessments and used by non-gynecologic oncologists, detected 92% of malignant ovarian masses compared to 72% without OVA1. In addition, 14 of 20 woman who participated in the study whose cancer was missed by pre-surgical clinical and radiological assessments would have been identified as having malignant ovarian masses had OVA1 results also been evaluated prior to their surgeries. The FDA announced it had cleared OVA1 in September 2009, and Quest Diagnostics is the only national laboratory services provider to offer it broadly in the United States.

Quest Diagnostics Inc. and SurescriptsR announced an agreement to pioneer the formation of an integrated service to make laboratory and prescription information broadly and easily accessible to physicians. The collaboration is designed to improve patient safety and clinical outcomes. Quest Diagnostics tests approximately 150 million patients each year and has 150,000 physicians connected to its Care360T platform. Surescripts processed nearly 600 million e-prescription messages in 2009. The company supports approximately 170,000 active prescribers.

Quest Diagnostics Inc. announced that its Board of Directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.10 per share, payable on April 20, 2010, to shareholders of record of Quest Diagnostics common stock on April 6, 2010.