Abbott's Galectin-3 Test Provides Doctors in Europe with New Tool for Assessing the Prognosis of Chronic Heart Failure Patients

-- Galectin-3 test may help physicians identify patients at highest risk for a worse prognosis, including re-hospitalization and death, allowing them to tailor the level of care to individual patient needs[1]

ABBOTT PARK, Illinois, April 10, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Abbott today announced CE Marking (Conformite Europeenne) for the ARCHITECT Galectin-3 assay, a test to aid doctors in assessing the prognosis of patients diagnosed with chronic heart failure (HF). The test was developed in partnership with BG Medicine, Inc., (NASDAQ: BGMD) to run on Abbott's ARCHITECT immunochemistry platform.  

"Galectin-3 reflects the pathophysiology of heart failure and is one of the most powerful prognostic indicators in heart failure. It helps clinicians identify which patients are at high risk for worsening heart failure early in the course of their disease," said Dr. Rudolf de Boer, Associate Professor in Cardiology at the University Medical Centre Groningen, the Netherlands. "Knowing which patients are at increased risk of hospital readmission – independent of other variables – could provide physicians with important information to help them reach different decisions about treatment, which may benefit patient care."

Heart failure, or the inability of the heart to circulate blood effectively, is associated with poor patient outcomes, a lower quality of life, and recurrent and costly health services.[2, 3] While the progress of HF is different for each patient, several studies demonstrate that HF patients with higher levels of a protein called galectin-3 present are more likely to have worse outcomes, including re-hospitalization and death.[4]

"Despite numerous medical advances, the number of deaths among hospitalized heart failure patients remains high, exceeding that of most cancers," said Brian Blaser, executive vice president, Diagnostics Products, Abbott. "The new ARCHITECT Galectin-3 test is a helpful tool to aid physicians in their care of these critically ill patients."

The ARCHITECT Galectin-3 test is available in several European countries.

Intended Use
The ARCHITECT Galectin-3 assay is a chemiluminescent microparticle immunoassay (CMIA) for the quantitative determination of galectin-3 in human serum and EDTA plasma on the ARCHITECT i System. The ARCHITECT Galectin-3 assay may be used in conjunction with clinical evaluation as an aid in assessing the prognosis of patients diagnosed with chronic heart failure.

About BG Medicine
BG Medicine, Inc., (Nasdaq: BGMD) is a diagnostics company focused on the development and commercialization of novel cardiovascular tests to address significant unmet medical needs, improve patient outcomes and reduce healthcare costs. The Company has two products: the BGM Galectin-3® test for use in patients with chronic heart failure is available in the United States and Europe; and the CardioSCORE™ test for the risk prediction of major cardiovascular events will be launched in Europe in the first half of 2013.

For additional information about BG Medicine, heart failure and galectin-3 testing, please visit www.bg-medicine.com and www.galectin-3.com.

About Abbott Diagnostics
Abbott is a global leader in in vitro diagnostics and offers a broad range of innovative instrument systems and tests for hospitals, reference labs, molecular labs, blood banks, physician offices and clinics. With more than 22,000 customers in more than 100 countries, Abbott's diagnostic products offer customers automation, convenience, bedside testing, cost-effectiveness, and flexibility. Abbott has helped transform the practice of medical diagnosis from an art to a science through the company's commitment to improving patient care and lowering costs.

About Abbott
Abbott is a global healthcare company devoted to improving life through the development of products and technologies that span the breadth of healthcare. With a portfolio of leading, science-based offerings in diagnostics, medical devices, nutritionals and branded generic pharmaceuticals, Abbott serves people in more than 150 countries and employs approximately 70,000 people. 

Visit Abbott at www.abbott.com and connect with us on Twitter at @AbbottNews.

[1] de Boer, R, Voors, A, Muntendam, P, et al. Galectin-3: A novel mediator of heart failure development and progression. European Journal of Heart Failure 2009; 11: 811-817.
[2] McMurray, JJV, Adamopoulos, S, Anker, SD et al. ESC Guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic heart failure 2012. European Heart Journal. 2012; 33: 1787–1847.
[3] Mosterd, A, Hoes, AW. Clinical Epidemiology of Heart Failure. Heart. 2007; 93:1137–1146.
[4] de Boer, R, Lok, D, Jaarsma, T, et al. Predictive value of plasma galectin-3 levels in heart failure with reduced and preserve ejection fraction. Annals of Medicine 2011; 43: 60-68.