FRANKLIN LAKES, N.J., and
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., May 23, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Exagen Diagnostics,
Inc., a specialty diagnostics laboratory that discovers, develops
and markets proprietary tests, and Medco Research Institute, LLC --
a wholly-owned subsidiary of Medco Health Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:
MHS) -- announced today they have started a joint pilot program
called NIMBLE [Novel Interventions in Methotrexate Boosts Levels of
Effectiveness] designed to help physicians optimize the
effectiveness of low-dose methotrexate therapy for patients who
suffer from rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100609/MEDCOLOGO)
An estimated 1.3 million adults suffer from RA in the United States, many of whom are treated
with low-dose methotrexate (MTX). MTX is safe, relatively low
cost and highly effective; however, it is difficult to determine
the optimal dose for individual patients due to the highly variable
absorption, excretion and metabolism rates for each patient.
Historically, physicians have depended solely on clinical signs and
patient symptoms, which do not always indicate how changes to the
treatment therapy might benefit the patient. In many cases, if a
patient does not respond to MTX therapy within six to eight weeks,
they are often prescribed biologic therapies.
The NIMBLE pilot program will use Exagen's proprietary Avise
PG lab test to measure whether patients are receiving an
appropriate dose of MTX. Avise PG measures MTX polyglutamate
levels, the active metabolites of MTX. These measurements can help
establish how MTX is being absorbed, retained and metabolized by
the patient. With this information, a physician can more
accurately adjust the dose of MTX, making it more effective for the
patient.
"Molecular tests, like Avise PG, can help make
prescribing more precise by providing information that tells the
physician which dose, or even which medication, will work best for
an individual patient. This is especially important when the
next-in-line therapy is a biologic medication that can cost a
patient and payor significantly more, and may come with additional
negative side-effects," said Felix
Frueh, Ph.D., president, Medco Research Institute. "The
findings we observe through the NIMBLE pilot will be an important
step in understanding the value of testing like this, and may bring
us closer to making this testing standard practice for RA
patients."
Medco Research Institute will work with Medco clients to recruit
patients to take part in the NIMBLE pilot program. When a
member of the participating plans receives an initial prescription
for MTX for the treatment for RA, Medco will provide the
prescribing physician with the Avise PG test, and patients
will be alerted that a blood-draw for the Avise PG test will
be performed at their next office visit.
Once the physician's office has collected the blood sample, it
will be sent to Exagen Diagnostics' CLIA-certified laboratory for
testing. Exagen will provide the test results to the prescribing
physician to make dose changes accordingly, and to Medco Research
Institute.
It is anticipated that up to 400 Medco members who are new to
MTX therapy will have the Avise PG testing performed. The
downstream medical and pharmacy claims data from these patients
will be compared to a similar number of Medco members who did not
received Avise PG testing as part of their care in order to
determine the clinical utility and cost effectiveness of this
intervention.
"We are very pleased to partner with such a patient-focused
organization to provide physicians this opportunity to optimize
treatment of a very painful and expensive disease," said
Scott Glenn, Exagen CEO.
About Exagen Diagnostics, Inc.
Exagen Diagnostics is the emerging leader in
laboratory-discovered and developed diagnostic tests specifically
designed to provide objective information to physicians and
patients for more accurate, efficient diagnosis and better disease
management. Using Coperna®, the company's proprietary,
algorithm-driven computational tool and search engine running on
high-performance computational clusters, Coperna combines the
ability to process massive amounts of data contained in genomic
datasets with intelligent, rapid search methods. Coperna's targeted
and precise discovery model has no conventional equivalent in the
industry as it can identify relevant marker sets with superior
sensitivity and specificity relative to markers identified via
traditional analytical methods. For more information, please visit
www.exagen.com.
About Medco Research Institute
Medco Research Institute® is an evidence-based research
organization focused solely on novel research, analytics and new
discoveries that close the gap between scientific discovery and
medical practice for improved patient outcomes and lower overall
healthcare costs. More information about the Medco Research
Institute's peer-reviewed research can be found at
www.medcoresearch.com.
About Medco Health Solutions, Inc.
Medco Health Solutions, Inc. (NYSE: MHS) is pioneering the
world's most advanced pharmacy® and its clinical research
and innovations are part of Medco making medicine smarter™
for approximately 65 million members.
With more than 20,000 employees worldwide dedicated to improving
patient health and reducing costs for a wide range of public and
private sector clients, and 2010 revenues of $66 billion, Medco ranks 34th on the 2011 Fortune
500 list and is named among the world's most innovative, most
admired and most trustworthy companies.
For more information, go to http://www.medcohealth.com.
This press release contains "forward-looking statements" as
that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform
Act of 1995. These statements involve risks and uncertainties that
may cause results to differ materially from those set forth in the
statements. No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed, and
actual results may differ materially from those projected. We
undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking
statement, whether as a result of new information, future events,
or otherwise. Forward-looking statements in this press release
should be evaluated together with the risks and uncertainties that
affect our business, particularly those mentioned in the Risk
Factors section of the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K and
Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and
Exchange Commission.
SOURCE Medco Health Solutions, Inc.