Pharmaceutical News
Accumetrics, Inc., Daiichi Sankyo, Inc. and Eli Lilly and Company Launch Strategic U.S. Collaboration
San Diego
Jul 12, 2010
Collaboration seeks to increase awareness about the
importance of measuring patients' platelet response to antiplatelet
therapyAccumetrics, Inc., Daiichi Sankyo, Inc, and Eli Lilly and Company announced today that the companies have entered into a strategic collaboration in the United States to raise awareness about antiplatelet therapy and the role of platelet function testing.
Several factors, including a patient's genetic make-up, diabetic status, age, weight and the use of certain other medications metabolized through the cytochrome P450 pathway in the body may influence patient response to antiplatelet medicines. Therefore, it is important that physicians understand their options to determine if their use of a specific antiplatelet medicine is having its intended effect.
Antiplatelet medicines help prevent blood platelets from sticking or clumping together, reducing the likelihood that arteries will be blocked by a clot, leading to a heart attack.
The focus of the collaboration is to educate healthcare professionals about the availability and reliability of a rapid and easy-to-use platelet function test, and to stress the importance of assessing each patient's platelet response to antiplatelet medications.
"By working closely with Daiichi Sankyo and Lilly, we hope to offer greater understanding of platelet function testing as a means to help physicians assess patients' platelet response to antiplatelet therapy," said Timothy I. Still, President and CEO of Accumetrics.
"We believe physicians will want to know the specific effect of a patient's antiplatelet therapy and whether additional measures may be needed," said Rogelio Braceras, M.D., senior medical director, thrombosis at Daiichi Sankyo, Inc. "In fact, a recent Clinical Alert from the American College of Cardiology Foundation and American Heart Association noted that several ongoing studies are being conducted to evaluate whether directly measuring the antiplatelet effect might be useful to help tailor antiplatelet therapy for patients."
This collaborative program will work to provide healthcare professionals information about the factors that affect response to antiplatelet medication and how platelet function testing works. Platelet function testing can be measured at the point of care and provides quick insight to physicians about the antiplatelet effect of a specific medicine. With this information, physicians can make more informed treatment decisions.
"By using platelet function testing, physicians now have another tool to help them manage their patients on antiplatelet therapy," said Tiffany Olson, vice president of Diagnostics, Eli Lilly and Company.
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, and GP IIb/IIIa inhibitors, 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 Daiichi Sankyo
The Daiichi Sankyo Group is dedicated to the creation and supply of innovative pharmaceutical products to address the diversified, unmet medical needs of patients in both mature and emerging markets. While maintaining its portfolio of marketed pharmaceuticals for hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and bacterial infections, the Group is engaged in the development of treatments for thrombotic disorders and focused on the discovery of novel oncology and cardiovascular-metabolic therapies. Furthermore, the Daiichi Sankyo Group has created a "Hybrid Business Model," which will respond to market and customer diversity and optimize growth opportunities across the value chain.
Daiichi Sankyo, Inc., headquartered in Parsippany, New Jersey, is a member of the Daiichi Sankyo Group.
About Eli Lilly and Company
Lilly, a leading innovation-driven corporation, is developing a growing portfolio of pharmaceutical products by applying the latest research from its own worldwide laboratories and from collaborations with eminent scientific organizations. Headquartered in Indianapolis, Ind., Lilly provides answers – through medicines and information – for some of the world's most urgent medical needs.
Source: Accumetrics, Inc.
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