Replies to post #141581 on Biotech Values

[biomaven0]

>Diadexus

My memory from when I researched them a few years back is that they only have a limited patent life left, and so even if the associated drug trials are successful it's not clear how much they would benefit.

There is increasing support for using this marker though:

April 26, 2012
New Clinical Endocrinology Guidelines Support Lp-PLA2 Measurement For Risk Assessment of Coronary Artery Disease
SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., April 26, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- diaDexus, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: DDXS), a company focused on the development and commercialization of proprietary cardiovascular diagnostic products, today announced the inclusion of its vascular-specific inflammatory marker Lp-PLA2 in the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists ("AACE") medical guidelines for clinical practice published in the March/April 2012 issue of Endocrine Practice.

"The AACE's guidelines are an important endorsement of the clinical utility of Lp-PLA2 measurement. Specifically, the guidelines recommend the use of multiple markers, including Lp-PLA2, to assist physicians in personalizing ther­apy for elevations or other abnormalities in blood lipids. These abnormalities, commonly referred to as "dyslipidemia," are a major risk factor for coronary artery disease," said Brian E. Ward, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of diaDexus. "As more health care professionals utilize Lp-PLA2 as a component of cardiovascular risk assessment, we believe that diaDexus' PLAC Test for Lp-PLA2 should contribute to saving lives."

The AACE is the third major association of medical professionals to underscore the value of Lp-PLA2. The new recommendations complement medical guidelines published by the American College of Cardiology Foundation/America Heart Association and the American Stroke Association, in 2010 and 2011. These two earlier guidelines support Lp-PLA2 measurement for assessment of cardiovascular risk in asymptomatic adults and for primary prevention of stroke.

The new AACE guidelines(1) recommend Lp-PLA2 measurement as part of global risk assessment for patients with dyslipidemia, and have identified elevated Lp-PLA2 levels as an important risk factor for the development of vascular disease. Dyslipidemia is a major risk factor for the development of coronary artery disease ("CAD") and may even be a prerequisite for CAD, occurring before other major risk factors come into play. Elevated Lp-PLA2 levels are specific for inflammation in the blood vessels, and are not influenced by obesity, infections or other inflammatory conditions unrelated to atherosclerosis.

The AACE guidelines include the following statements:

Lp-PLA2 has been identified as a strong and independent predictor of cardiovascular disease events and stroke in patients with and without clinically evident CAD.
Measurement of Lp-PLA2, in some studies, has demonstrated more specificity than high sensitivity C-Reactive Protein ("hs-CRP") when it is necessary to further stratify a patient's cardiovascular disease risk, especially with elevated hs-CRP in the presence of other causes of inflammation (hs-CRP is an indiscriminate marker of general inflammation).
Significantly elevated Lp-LPA2 in combination with significantly elevated hs-CRP constitutes very high cardiovascular disease risk in individuals with low or moderately elevated LDL cholesterol.
(1) American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists' Guidelines for Management of Dyslipidemia and Prevention of Atherosclerosis. PS Jellinger et al. Endocrine Practice Vol 18 (Suppl 1) March/April 2012.