Labcorp has agreed to pay $150m in cash for Myriad Genetics’ autoimmune business, one of three major units Myriad is unloading as it tries to narrow its focus to oncology, women's health and mental health diagnostics.

Five and a half years after its decision to spin off its pharmaceutical business and a year and a half away from having the US Supreme Court break its monopoly on BRCA gene testing, Myriad Genetics is no longer an exception among molecular diagnostics companies. It must find its way along a more crowded path.

Having watched Crescendo Bioscience gain a foothold in the market for inflammatory and autoimmune diagnostics, Myriad Genetics is now moving to acquire the company – a right it obtained via a novel strategic investment agreement in 2011.

Having watched Crescendo Bioscience gain a foothold in the market for inflammatory and autoimmune diagnostics, Myriad Genetics is now moving to acquire the company – a right it obtained via a novel strategic investment agreement in 2011.