DiaDexus, Inc. Highlights Findings From Two Outcomes Studies For Its PLAC Lp-PLA(2) Activity Assay

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., March 19, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- diaDexus, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: DDXS), a company focused on proprietary cardiovascular diagnostic products, today highlighted data from two recent studies evaluating the clinical utility of its PLAC® Test for Lp-PLA(2)  Activity.  The PLAC® Test for Lp-PLA(2) Activity is CE-marked for use outside of the United States and is an investigational assay in the United States.  This test, which measures the pro-inflammatory enzymatic activity of Lp-PLA(2), was used to examine patient samples from two well-known clinical studies of statins, LIPID and JUPITER.

"The LIPID analyses indicate that a reduction in Lp-PLA(2) levels may impact coronary heart disease outcomes more than a reduction in LDL cholesterol in response to statin therapy. In fact, the LIPID trial found that the more you lower Lp-PLA(2), the more you reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.  This is compelling because Lp-PLA(2) levels have not been measured this way in prior studies," commented Brian E. Ward, Ph.D., diaDexus Chief Executive Officer.

"The JUPITER trial demonstrated that Lp-PLA(2) levels are predictive of cardiovascular events in apparently healthy men and women. Additionally, JUPITER showed a positive trend between lower Lp-PLA(2) levels and cardiovascular outcomes as a response to statins. Taken together, the LIPID and JUPITER analyses performed by our PLAC® Test for Lp-PLA(2) Activity should be of great interest to physicians, their patients and advisory bodies, especially as they understand the differences in the two study populations," Dr. Ward added.

The LIPID study population was comprised of patients who had a prior history of myocardial infarction or hospitalization for unstable angina; the JUPITER study included healthy men and women with elevated levels of C-reactive protein, an inflammatory marker. The individuals enrolled in these studies had markedly different cholesterol levels. LIPID patients had high LDL cholesterol levels between 155 to 217 mg/dL while the JUPITER patients had lower LDL cholesterol levels of 130 mg/dL or less at time of enrollment.

1 2 3 Next › Last »