Archive for the ‘News’ Category
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BG Medicine, Inc. to Host Interactive Webcast on Role of Galectin-3 in Heart Failure Development and ProgressionDecember 6th, 2011CardiocareLive Event Scheduled for December 8, 2011, 11 a.m. Eastern Time
WALTHAM, Mass., Dec. 6, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — BG Medicine, Inc. (Nasdaq:BGMD), a life sciences company focused on the development and commercialization of novel, biomarker-based diagnostics, announced today that it will participate in a virtual cardiology congress via CardiocareLive produced by PlatformQ. The interactive webcast will feature Pieter Muntendam, MD, President and CEO of BG Medicine, who will provide an overview of the role of galectin-3 in the development and progression of heart failure. Dr. Muntendam has led the research and development efforts to identify the role of galectin-3 in cardiac disease from its original preclinical studies through its current clinical use in the FDA-cleared BGM Galectin-3TM test for use in patients with heart failure. The title of the webcast is “Finding the Disease in Heart Failure — Role of Galectin-3 in Heart Failure Development and Progression.” The webcast will be held on Thursday, December 8, 2011, at 11 a.m. Eastern Time.
To participate in this interactive webcast, please visit the following link on December 8, 2011: http://www.cardiocarelive.com/en_CA/br/BGMedicine.
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BG Medicine, Inc. Announces Peer-Reviewed Publication on Galectin-3 and Development of Heart Failure After Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS)November 30th, 2011
WALTHAM, Mass., Nov. 30, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — BG Medicine, Inc. (Nasdaq:BGMD), a company focused on the development and commercialization of novel, biomarker-based diagnostics, announced today the availability of the peer-reviewed publication of the first clinical study on the role of galectin-3 in heart failure development. Results of the pilot study, which consisted of a sub-study of patients from the Pravastatin or Atorvastin Evaluation and Infection Therapy — Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction 22 (PROVE IT-TIMI 22) trial, indicate that serum levels of galectin-3 are associated with increased risk of developing heart failure after suffering an acute coronary event, such as a heart attack. The study was conducted by the Boston-based TIMI Study Group at Brigham & Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School. The results from the study were published in the November 22, 2011 online issue of the journal Clinical Chemistry, titled, “Galectin-3 and the Development of Heart Failure after Acute Coronary Syndrome: Pilot Experience from PROVE IT-TIMI 22,” Grandin E, Jarolim P, Murphy S. DOI 10.1373/clinchem.2011.174359.
The study consisted of 100 patient cases from the PROVE IT-TIMI 22 trial, who had been hospitalized for new or worsening heart failure, which were analyzed against a matched set of control subjects. Serum levels of galectin-3 were measured within seven days following an acute coronary event using the BGM Galectin-3TM diagnostic test.
“Preclinical data suggested that galectin-3 may play an important role in the development of certain forms of heart failure. We designed this pilot study to investigate if elevated galectin-3 levels are indeed associated with an increased risk for heart failure development,” said
David A. Morrow, MD, MPH, Cardiovascular Division, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, and a Senior Investigator in the TIMI Study Group. “The results confirmed our hypothesis — that patients with levels of galectin-3 above the median were twice as likely to develop heart failure as those with lower levels of galectin-3.”
“This is the second study this year to report on whether adverse health consequences are associated with elevated galectin-3 levels in patients without other signs or symptoms of heart failure. The first study (PREVEND) demonstrated, in the general population, that elevated galectin-3 levels are associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular-related death. The TIMI 22 galectin-3 sub-study suggests that elevated galectin-3 levels also increase the risk for the development of heart failure,” said
Pieter Muntendam, MD, President and CEO of BG Medicine. “These findings are consistent with the suggestions drawn from previously reported animal data. The same animal data suggest that inhibition of galectin-3 may slow down or stop this process and potentially prevent the development of heart failure.”
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Study Shows Association of Elevated Galectin-3 Levels With Poor Outcomes in End-Stage Renal Disease
November 17th, 2011Results Presented at American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2011
WALTHAM, Mass., Nov. 17, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — BG Medicine, Inc. (Nasdaq:BGMD), a company focused on the development and commercialization of novel biomarker-based diagnostics, announced today that results from a study on the role of galectin-3 in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) were presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2011 (AHA) meeting in Orlando, Florida on November 16, 2011. Results from this study suggest that galectin-3 may be an independent predictor of adverse outcomes in patients with ESRD, due to the association of galectin-3 with all-cause and infectious mortality, stroke and other cardiovascular events. The data were featured in a presentation entitled, “Galectin-3 and Outcomes in Patients with End-Stage Renal Disease: Data from the German Diabetes and Dialysis Study,” presented by Rudolf de Boer, MD, PhD, Associate Professor of Cardiology at the University of Groningen, the Netherlands. In the study, patients’ galectin-3 levels were measured using the BGM Galectin-3TM test.
The study included 1,168 patients with diabetes undergoing dialysis who participated in the German Diabetes and Dialysis Study. Galectin-3 was measured in baseline blood samples, with a median follow up period of 4 years, during which 617 patients (49%) died. Regression analysis was used to assess the association of galectin-3 with the development of all-cause mortality, sudden cardiac death, death due to heart failure, death due to infection, cardiovascular events, myocardial infarction and stroke.
“Galectin-3 is recognized as a mediator of fibrosis in both cardiac and renal injury models,” said Dr. de Boer. “This study provides additional information supporting our understanding that elevated galectin-3 levels are associated with an increased risk for adverse outcomes generally and, particularly, in patients undergoing dialysis.”
“Heart failure is commonly complicated by declining kidney function with kidney disease markedly contributing to the morbidity and mortality of heart failure patients,” said Pieter Muntendam, MD, President and CEO of BG Medicine. “Although the cardio-renal axis has long been recognized, it is poorly understood, and understanding the role of galectin-3 in the cardio-renal axis may provide new insights in the pathophysiology with the ultimate goal to develop novel treatments that reduce the incidence of kidney disease in patients with heart failure.”
Authors of the study are Rudolf A. de Boer, MD, PhD of the University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands; and Christoph Wanner, MD, Katja Blouin, MSc, Christian Drechsler, MD, of the University of Wurzburg, Wurzburg, Germany. The full presentation, “Galectin-3 and Outcomes in Patients with End-Stage Renal Disease: Data from the German Diabetes and Dialysis Study” is available: http://www.galectin-3.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/aha-slides-1.pdf.
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BG Medicine, Inc. Announces Availability of Galectin-3 Testing Through Cleveland HeartLab, Inc.
October 27th, 2011WALTHAM, Mass., Oct. 27, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — BG Medicine, Inc. (Nasdaq:BGMD), a company focused on the development and commercialization of novel, biomarker-based diagnostics, announced today that Cleveland HeartLab, Inc. is now offering BGM Galectin-3TM testing services.
“The launch of galectin-3 testing services by Cleveland HeartLab, Inc., a leading specialty clinical reference laboratory, grows the increasing pool of physicians who now have convenient access to this important new test and complements the broad range of cardiovascular tests already being offered to physicians through Cleveland HeartLab, Inc.,” said Pieter Muntendam, MD, President and CEO of BG Medicine, Inc.
“Cleveland HeartLab, Inc. prides itself on being a leader in cardiovascular disease management through the use of a novel, five-biomarker CVD Inflammation ProfileTM that enables physicians to determine if and to what degree their patients are at risk for cardiovascular disease,” said Jake Orville, President and CEO of Cleveland HeartLab. ”Galectin-3 testing complements our approach to cardiovascular disease management and will assist physicians in making important clinical decisions for their patients. Cleveland HeartLab, Inc. is dedicated to offering cutting-edge testing to physicians in an effort to improve patient management, and the addition of galectin-3 to our test menu supports this mission.”
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Study Shows That Changes in Galectin-3 Values Predict Mortality and Morbidity in Heart Failure
September 20th, 2011Results Presented at Heart Failure Society of America 15th Annual Meeting
WALTHAM, Mass., Sept. 20, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — BG Medicine, Inc. (Nasdaq:BGMD), a company focused on the development and commercialization of novel biomarker-based diagnostics, announced today that results from a study evaluating outcomes in 1,653 heart failure patients assessed with its BGM Galectin-3 blood test were presented at the 15th Annual Meeting of the Heart Failure Society of America (HFSA) in Boston, Mass. The study investigated the significance of changes in the level of the protein galectin-3 and risk of subsequent mortality and morbidity in heart failure patients in up to 3 years of follow-up. Results of the study included the finding that heart failure patients whose galectin-3 levels increased by more than ten percent over the course of 3 to 6 months, a change seen in approximately one-fifth of the patients studied, had a mortality and morbidity rate that was approximately 60% higher than that for the patients in the study with stable levels of galectin-3. In the study, levels of the protein galectin-3 in blood were measured using the BGM Galectin-3 test, which was recently cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
The results of the study were featured in a presentation entitled, “Changes in Galectin-3 Levels Over Time Predict Mortality and Morbidity in Heart Failure,” presented by Rudolf de Boer, MD, PhD, Associate Professor of Cardiology at the University of Groningen, The Netherlands.
“Galectin-3 is associated with mortality and morbidity in heart failure patients, and this study set out to examine how frequent changes in galectin-3 occur and what the consequences of these changes are,” said Prof. de Boer. “Approximately one-fifth of all patients in the study had changes in galectin-3 blood levels. For those patients whose galectin-3 levels increased over time, the mortality and morbidity rates were significantly increased, while for those whose galectin-3 levels decreased over time, the mortality and morbidity rates were substantially lower.”
“Generally, galectin-3 levels are relatively stable over extended periods, but this study demonstrates that changes in galectin-3 levels are of clinical importance if they do occur,” said Pieter Muntendam, MD, President and CEO of BG Medicine. “These results suggest that periodic galectin-3 testing in patients with chronic heart failure is useful to identify those whose risk profile may have changed over time.”
The authors of the study are Rudolf A. de Boer, MD, PhD; Dirk J. van Veldhuisen, MD, PhD; Lars Gullestad, MD; Thor Ueland, PhD; Pal Aukrust, MD, PhD; Aram S. Adourian, PhD; Yu Guo, PhD; and Pieter Muntendam, MD. The full presentation, “Changes in Galectin-3 Values Over Time Predict Mortality and Morbidity in Heart Failure,” is available: click here.
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Study Shows Association of Galectin-3 Levels With Near-Term Rehospitalization in Heart Failure Patients - Results Presented at Heart Failure Society of America 15th Annual Meeting
September 20th, 2011WALTHAM, Mass., Sept. 20, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — BG Medicine, Inc. (Nasdaq:BGMD), a company focused on the development and commercialization of novel biomarker-based diagnostics, announced today that results from a meta-analysis of three heart failure cohorts comprising 892 patients were presented at the 15th Annual Meeting of the Heart Failure Society of America (HFSA) in Boston, Mass. The study investigated the ability of galectin-3 blood levels in heart failure patients to predict the likelihood of near-term unplanned hospital re-admission for heart failure. The study demonstrated that heart failure patients who had elevated galectin-3 levels at the time of initial discharge from the hospital or emergency department for heart failure were hospitalized again for heart failure in the subsequent 90 days at a rate that was two to three times higher than for the patients in the study with lower galectin-3 levels. The data were featured in a presentation entitled, “Plasma Galectin-3 is Associated With Near-term Rehospitalization in Heart Failure: A Meta-Analysis,” presented by Rudolf de Boer, MD, PhD, Associate Professor of Cardiology at the University of Groningen, the Netherlands. Galectin-3 levels in the study were measured using the BGM Galectin-3 test, a novel blood test recently cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
The study included heart failure patients from three cohorts: the Coordinating Study Evaluating Outcomes of Advising and Counseling in Heart Failure (COACH) study, the Pro-BNP Investigation of Dyspnea in the Emergency Department (PRIDE) study and the University of Maryland Pro-BNP for Diagnosis and Prognosis in Patients Presenting with Dyspnea study. All study patients were enrolled, and blood samples obtained, upon presentation to an emergency department or upon discharge for a heart failure-related hospital stay. The results indicated that patients with galectin-3 levels above 17.8 ng/mL at enrollment were significantly more likely to be rehospitalized in the near-term after initial discharge.
“Reducing rehospitalizations for heart failure patients has become one of the healthcare priorities,” said Dr. James L. Januzzi of Massachusetts General Hospital. ”These results suggest that measuring galectin-3 in the hospital may offer clinicians, hospitals and payors the opportunity to identify patients at highest risk for re-admission and tailor their interventions to offer those at highest risk the most advanced interventions.”
“The BGM Galectin-3 test is a different kind of heart failure test,” said Pieter Muntendam, MD, President and CEO of BG Medicine. ”Galectin-3 levels are generally stable during hospitalization for heart failure, which allows for the use of a convenient and simple single cut-point to determine risk for re-admission, regardless of whether testing is conducted upon admission, during or at discharge from a hospital stay for heart failure.”
Authors of the study are Rudolf A. de Boer, MD, PhD and Dirk J. van Veldhuisen, MD, PhD of the University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands; Christopher deFilippi, MD of the University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland; Pieter Muntendam, MD, Aram S. Adourian, PhD, and Yu Guo, PhD, of BG Medicine, Inc., Waltham, Mass. and James L. Januzzi, MD, of Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Mass. The full presentation, “Plasma Galectin-3 is Associated With Near-term Rehospitalization in Heart Failure: A Meta-Analysis” is available: click here.
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New Studies on Role of Galectin-3 in Heart Failure to be Presented at 15th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Heart Failure Society of America
September 13th, 2011WALTHAM, Mass., Sept. 13, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — BG Medicine, Inc. (Nasdaq:BGMD), a company focused on the development and commercialization of novel, biomarker-based diagnostics, announced today that results from several studies utilizing its BGM Galectin-3™ test will be presented at the upcoming 15th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Heart Failure Society of America (HFSA), to be held in Boston, Mass., September 18-21, 2011. The presentations will address the role of galectin-3 levels in predicting the likelihood of near-term rehospitalization for recently discharged heart failure patients and the utility of serial measurement of galectin-3 levels in prognosticating morbidity and mortality risk.
Details for the presentations are provided below:
(1) Title: “Plasma Galectin-3 is Associated With Near-Term Rehospitalization in Heart Failure: A Meta-Analysis”
Authors: Rudolf A. de Boer, Dirk J. van Veldhuisen, Christopher deFilippi, Pieter Muntendam, Aram S. Adourian, Yu Guo, James L. Januzzi
Presenter: Rudolf A. de Boer, MD, PhD
Time: Monday, September 19, 9:30 a.m. — 7 p.m. ET
Program Title and Location: Poster Section: Clinical Care/Management Strategies
(2) Title: “Changes in Galectin-3 Levels Over Time Predict Mortality and Morbidity in Chronic Heart Failure (HF)”
Authors: Rudolf A. de Boer, Dirk J. van Veldhuisen, Lars Gullestad, Thor Ueland, Pal Aukrust, Yu Guo, Aram S. Adourian, Pieter Muntendam
Presenter: Rudolf A. de Boer, MD, PhD
Time: Monday, September 19, 9:30 a.m. — 7 p.m. ET
Program Title and Location: Poster Section: Clinical Care/Management Strategies
Also featured in an Oral Rapid-Fire Abstract Session, Monday, September 19, 12:30 — 1:45 p.m., Room 312
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Preclinical Studies Support Galectin-3 as a New Drug Target in Heart Failure - Results Presented at European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress 2011
August 31st, 2011WALTHAM, Mass., Aug. 31, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — BG Medicine, Inc. (Nasdaq:BGMD), a company focused on the development and commercialization of novel, biomarker-based diagnostics, announced today that results from two preclinical studies were presented at the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress 2011, in Paris, France. The studies utilized genetic and pharmacological methodologies to investigate the role of galectin-3 in heart failure. One of the studies used a natural selective galectin-3 inhibitor to investigate whether blocking galectin-3 can attenuate heart failure development and reduce mortality. Both studies were presented by Lili Yu, MD, Research Fellow, Department of Cardiology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, The Netherlands.
“Finding and understanding the disease mechanisms underlying important clinical conditions such as heart failure is a prerequisite for the development of effective disease-modifying therapies,” said Professor Dr. Dirk Jan van Veldhuisen,Chairman and Professor of Cardiology, University Medical Center Groningen, The Netherlands. ”These two studies combined lend strong support for the important role galectin-3 plays in heart failure development and progression, and that natural or pharmacological inhibitors of galectin-3 can attenuate the disease and reduce mortality.”
The first study, “Genetic Disruption of Galectin-3 Prevents Adverse Cardiac Remodeling,” investigated whether disruption of the galectin-3 pathway blocks heart failure development by means that normally induce heart failure. The study was conducted in animals lacking the gene to make galectin-3 protein, and used both a chemical and surgical path of heart failure induction. Results from this study indicate that animals without the galectin-3 gene do not develop cardiac fibrosis and heart failure, while animals with the galectin-3 gene, when exposed to the same provocation, develop cardiac fibrosis and heart failure.
The second study, “Pharmacological Inhibition of Galectin-3 Attenuates Adverse Cardiac Remodeling and Heart Failure,” researched whether a special natural carbohydrate molecule that binds to a specific site on the galectin-3 protein can inhibit fibrosis, reduce heart failure development and reduce mortality. Results indicated that inhibition of galectin-3 reduced the formation of fibrosis by more than 60% to near-normal levels, preserved left ventricular function and thus prevented the development of heart failure.
“These two preclinical studies confirm what we had anticipated based on the biology of galectin-3,” said Pieter Muntendam, MD, President and CEO of BG Medicine. ”The most striking finding was how well this natural carbohydrate performed. We selected it based on how well it binds to the galectin-3 protein, and we did not have much as a basis for our selection of the model, or the dose and route of administration. We expect these findings will stimulate pharmaceutical research on the use of galectin-3 as a new drug target and on the study of natural compounds that may offer important benefits when used as supplements or in fortified foods.”
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Results of First Epidemiological Study of Galectin-3: Higher Levels Are Associated With an Increased Risk of Mortality
August 30th, 2011Results Presented at European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress 2011
WALTHAM, Mass., Aug. 30, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — BG Medicine, Inc. (Nasdaq:BGMD), a company focused on the development and commercialization of novel, biomarker-based diagnostics, announced today that results from subjects in the Prevention of Renal and Vascular End-stage Disease (PREVEND) study were presented at the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress 2011, in Paris, France. The PREVEND study examined the association between levels of galectin-3 in blood and risk factors for cardiovascular disease and death in nearly 8,000 patients in the general population. Results demonstrated that galectin-3 levels are associated with risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Higher galectin-3 levels were associated with increased mortality rates in the study’s general patient population, underscoring the potential involvement of galectin-3 in cardiovascular disease. The results were featured in a presentation at ESC, “Galectin-3, Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Outcome in the General Population,” presented by Rudolf de Boer, MD, PhD, Associate Professor in Cardiology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, The Netherlands.“This study of nearly 8,000 patients over approximately 10 years marks the first large cohort evaluated to assess the effect of plasma levels of galectin-3 in the general population,” commented Dr. de Boer. ”Based on these data, it appears that circumstances that may injure the cardiovascular system, such as diabetes, smoking, prior heart attack, hypertension, obesity and high lipid levels, may also give rise to elevated levels of galectin-3. Because galectin-3 appears to be related to development of fibrosis rather than to lipids and atherosclerosis, the extent of its presence and its absolute level may serve as a complementary biomarker in cardiovascular risk models.”
“More than 1,500 scientific articles related to galectin-3 have been published, covering a range of studies, including in vitro experiments, animal studies and clinical studies in a variety of conditions, and these data from the large PREVEND study represent the first epidemiological study of galectin-3 in the general population,” said Pieter Muntendam, MD, President and CEO of BG Medicine. ”The findings reported were consistent with our expectations based on galectin-3 biology. It has been suggested that galectin-3-mediated organ damage can be mitigated by natural and pharmaceutical inhibitors. We believe the prevalence and importance of galectin-3-related mortality, as suggested by this PREVEND analysis, should cause the investigation of galectin-3 inhibitors to reduce mortality associated with high galectin-3 levels to become a research priority.”
The full presentation, “Galectin-3, Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Outcome in the General Population,” is available: click here.
In conjunction with results presented at ESC, BG Medicine will host an interactive webcast, “Role of Galectin-3 in Therapeutic and Cardiovascular Outcomes — Results from Leading Studies Presented at European Society of Cardiology Annual Meeting,” on August 30, 2011 at 12:00 p.m. EDT (18:00 CEST). Faculty will feature Bertram Pitt, MD, FACC, Professor of Medicine Emeritus, University of Michigan School of Medicine, Division of Cardiology; Lars Gullestad, MD, PhD, Professor of Cardiology, Rikshospitalet University Hospital, Department of Cardiology; and Rudolf de Boer, MD, PhD, Associate Professor in Cardiology, University Medical Center Groningen. Pieter Muntendam, MD, President and CEO of BG Medicine will moderate the session. The program is sponsored by Abbott, Alere, Inc., bioMérieux and Siemens. Further information is available at: http://www.cardiocarelive.com/Galectin-3.
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Study Shows Galectin-3 Predicts Response to Statin Therapy in Chronic Heart Failure - Results Presented at European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress 2011
August 29th, 2011WALTHAM, Mass., Aug. 29, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — BG Medicine, Inc. (Nasdaq:BGMD), a company focused on the development and commercialization of novel, biomarker-based diagnostics, announced today that results from a sub-study of the Controlled Rosuvastatin Multinational Trial in Heart Failure (CORONA) trial were presented at the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress 2011, in Paris, France. The results from the sub-study demonstrated that patients with plasma levels of galectin-3 below the median derived a marked clinical benefit from rosuvastatin (statin) treatment, while no benefit from rosuvastatin (statin) treatment was observed among patients with higher levels of galectin-3.
Results from the original CORONA trial reported in 2007 indicated that there were no significant differences between the rosuvastatin group and placebo in the coronary outcome or death from cardiovascular causes. However, in a secondary analysis, there was a small but statistically significant 8% reduction in hospitalizations for cardiovascular causes in the rosuvastatin group when compared to the placebo group (P<0.001)1.
Recent studies have suggested that 30% or more of typical heart failure is mediated by galectin-3 and that galectin-3-mediated heart failure is a form of heart failure that differs from other forms in several important respects. This observation led to the hypothesis that drugs, including statins, may perform differently in patients with higher or lower plasma levels of galectin-3. The hypothesis was tested in the sub-study of the CORONA trial described above, which involved 1,462 trial participants (approximately 30% of total CORONA trial participants). Results demonstrated that patients with plasma levels of galectin-3 below the median level (≤ 19.0 ng/mL) derived a marked clinical benefit from rosuvastatin treatment, while no benefit was observed in those with galectin-3 values over 19.0 ng/mL. The primary endpoint was a composite of cardiovascular mortality, non-fatal myocardial infarction and non-fatal stroke, which were analyzed as time to first event. In patients with galectin-3 levels below 19.0 ng/mL, a marked 35% reduction in the primary endpoint was observed (p<0.05). Results were featured in a presentation at the ESC entitled, “Galectin-3 Predicts Response to Statin Therapy in Chronic Heart Failure,” presented by Lars Gullestad, MD, PhD, Professor of Cardiology in the Department of Cardiology at Rikshospitalet University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.
“Heart failure is one of the fastest growing forms of cardiac disease, and a leading cause of death,” said Dr. Lars Gullestad. “However, the fact that heart failure is a heterogeneous condition likely accounts for the reason that so many large controlled trials, such as CORONA, have failed to demonstrate the anticipated benefits. By measuring blood levels of galectin-3, we can segment the heart failure patient population along disease pathways, which enables us to identify a large subgroup that appears to derive a marked clinical benefit from a common statin drug. Although these data should not support discontinuation of statin use in any group of patients with heart failure, they do strongly support the use of statins in patients who have low levels of galectin-3.”
“Heart failure is one of the few major medical conditions which is still predominantly defined based on signs and symptoms regardless of underlying disease pathways,” said Pieter Muntendam, MD, President and CEO of BG Medicine. “We believe that this study is important for two reasons: it supports the underlying premise of the original CORONA trial design - that there are heart failure patients who can derive an important mortality and morbidity benefit unrelated to the statin’s effect on cholesterol, and it further validates that galectin-3-mediated heart failure is distinct from other forms of heart failure.”
The full poster presentation, “Galectin-3 Predicts Response to Statin Therapy in Chronic Heart Failure,” is available: click here.
In conjunction with results presented at ESC, BG Medicine will host an interactive webcast, “Role of Galectin-3 in Therapeutic and Cardiovascular Outcomes — Results from Leading Studies Presented at European Society of Cardiology Annual Meeting,” on August 30, 2011 at 12:00 p.m. EDT (18:00 CEST). Faculty will feature Bertram Pitt, MD, FACC, Professor of Medicine Emeritus, University of Michigan School of Medicine, Division of Cardiology; Lars Gullestad, MD, PhD, Professor of Cardiology, Rikshospitalet University Hospital, Department of Cardiology; and Rudolf de Boer, MD, PhD, Associate Professor in Cardiology, University Medical Center Groningen. Pieter Muntendam, MD, President and CEO of BG Medicine will moderate the session. The program is sponsored by Abbott, Alere, Inc., bioMérieux and Siemens. Further information is available at: http://www.cardiocarelive.com/Galectin-3.
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