Inadequate Response to Clopidogrel Leads to Higher Incidence of Major Adverse Cardiac Events in Patients Who have Undergone PCI
Results suggest increased need for quantifying patient response to clopidogrel through point-of-care testing
SAN DIEGO, March 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Accumetrics, Inc., a
privately-held developer and marketer of the VerifyNow® System,
the first rapid and easy-to-use point-of-care system for measuring
platelet reactivity to multiple antiplatelet agents, announced the
presentation of a 2,000 patient meta-analysis examining patient
response to antiplatelet therapy after percutaneous coronary
intervention (PCI). Data from the patient-level meta-analysis show
that individuals with an inadequate response to clopidogrel have a
higher incidence of major adverse cardiac events.
Somjot S. Brar, MD, Director of Vascular Medicine & Staff
Interventional Cardiologist at Kaiser Permanente, presented the
results at the American College of Cardiology's ACC.10 conference
in Atlanta. "Our data suggest that approximately 35% of patients
undergoing PCI have poor response to clopidogrel, which is
consistent with previous findings," said Dr. Brar. "These patients
with inadequate response identified by the VerifyNow test may have
twice the risk of ischemic events or death."
The analysis showed results consistent with previous
publications on the clinical utility and importance of assessing
response to antiplatelet therapy using the VerifyNow P2Y12 platelet
function test, including the recently published POPular trial (JAMA
Feb 2010).
Dr. Brar continued, "These data could not have come at a more
appropriate time based on the FDA's recent warning that genetic
differences may reduce the effectiveness of clopidogrel. Many
studies, including our own, have repeatedly shown that there are
several factors, including genetics, concomitant medications and
pre-existing conditions such as diabetes, that influence the
effectiveness of clopidogrel and ultimately clinical outcomes."
Platelet function tests, such as the VerifyNow P2Y12 Test, measure
the combined effect of all of these factors.
The VerifyNow System is widely used in various clinical settings
where antiplatelet medications are prescribed to reduce the
occurrence of future thrombotic events such as heart attack and
stroke.
About Accumetrics
Accumetrics is committed to advancing medical understanding of
platelet function and enhancing quality of care for patients
receiving antiplatelet therapies by providing industry-leading and
widely accessible diagnostic tests for rapid platelet function
assessment.
Accumetrics' VerifyNow System is the first rapid and easy to use
platform to help physicians determine an individual's response to
multiple antiplatelet agents. Addressing every major antiplatelet
drug, including FDA-cleared products for aspirin, P2Y12 inhibitors
(e.g. prasugrel (Effient®) and clopidogrel (Plavix®)), and
GP IIb/IIIa inhibitors (e.g. ReoPro® and Integrilin®), the
VerifyNow System provides a valuable tool to help physicians make
informed treatment decisions. For more information about the
Company and its products, visit www.accumetrics.com.
The Accumetrics logo and VerifyNow are registered trademarks of
Accumetrics, Inc. ReoPro is a registered trademark of Centocor,
Inc. Integrilin is a registered trademark of Millennium
Pharmaceuticals. Plavix is a registered trademark of
sanofi-aventis. Effient is a registered trademark of Eli Lilly and
Company.
CONTACT: Megan Rusnack Lippert/Heilshorn & Associates 212-838-3777 mrusnack@lhai.com Timothy I. Still President and CEO Accumetrics 858-404-8260 press@accumetrics.com
Source: Accumetrics, Inc.
CONTACT: Timothy I. Still, President and CEO, Accumetrics,
+1-858-404-8260, press@accumetrics.com; Megan
Rusnack, Lippert/Heilshorn &
Associates, +1-212-838-3777, mrusnack@lhai.com
Web Site: http://www.accumetrics.com/
Posted: March 2010
