Healthcare Industry News: cyclosporine
News Release - July 19, 2006
Dade Behring Launches Tacrolimus Test on Its Dimension(R), V-Twin(R), and Viva-E(TM) Systems
Addition expands transplant rejection monitoring test portfolioDEERFIELD, Ill.--(HSMN NewsFeed)--July 19, 2006--Dade Behring Inc. (NASDAQ:DADE ), the world's largest company solely dedicated to clinical diagnostics, today announced that it has launched the Tacrolimus test for use on its Dimension® family of chemistry analyzers and V-Twin® and Viva-E(TM) drug testing analyzers. This test further expands Dade Behring's offering of immunosuppressant drug tests used by physicians to monitor organ rejection in patients who have recently received an organ transplant.
Two of the most frequently prescribed transplant rejection drugs are Tacrolimus and cyclosporine. Dade Behring now offers three different automated tests used to monitor these drugs: the Tacrolimus test, the cyclosporine test, and the cyclosporine extended range test. Each test is offered on the Dimension® chemistry platform and V-Twin® and Viva-E(TM) drug testing platforms. This comprehensive product offering allows a clinical laboratory to consolidate their immunosuppressant drug testing on to one instrument platform of their choice.
"More than 52,000 people receive organ transplants in the world each year," said Jim Reid-Anderson, Chairman, President and CEO, Dade Behring. "Considering there is a global shortage of donor organs, we understand how critical it is to help reduce the risk of organ transplant rejection. We are pleased to introduce these new tests that will provide physicians with more options to monitor transplant patients and therefore improve the quality of health care for these patients."
The Dimension® test is the only Tacrolimus test on the market that does not require a manual pretreatment step. By eliminating this pretreatment step, clinical laboratory customers are able to increase productivity and reduce the potential for errors that may be caused by handling patient samples.
As more drugs are introduced to help prevent rejection of transplanted organs, the demand for clinical diagnostic tests used to monitor dosage levels of these drugs will increase. Dade Behring intends to continue developing up-to-date drug tests to help monitor drug levels in transplant patients, and therefore prevent organ rejection.
Dade Behring is currently celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Syva product line. Under the Syva® brand name, the company offers a variety of tests that either detect or provide quantitative measures of therapeutic drugs, drugs-of-abuse, and drugs used to prevent rejection of transplanted organs.
About transplants, transplanted organ rejection, and immunosuppressant drugs:
Transplantation is the medical procedure by which cells, tissues, or organs are transferred from a donor to a recipient. It is an alternative treatment for a variety of otherwise fatal conditions.
The immune system protects the human body from potentially harmful substances, such as microorganisms, toxins, and cancer cells. The function of the immune system is to reject cells and other materials that are foreign and perceived to be potentially dangerous to the body. This could result in the body rejecting a transplanted organ.
Immunosuppressant drugs are necessary after a transplant because they help to prevent the immune system from rejecting the transplanted organ. Thus, the bodily system that provides protection against foreign organisms is also the system that poses a substantial threat to a transplant recipient.
Immunosuppressant drugs, such as Tacrolimus and cyclosporine, have a narrow window of clinical effectiveness. Because of this, the level of the drug in a patient needs to be monitored by a physician or health care provider. The optimal balance of therapy needs to be monitored to ensure effective prevention of the organ rejection, while minimizing harmful side effects. This may not only save the transplanted organ, but also the life of the patient.
About Dade Behring
With 2005 revenue of nearly $1.7 billion, Dade Behring is the world's largest company solely dedicated to clinical diagnostics. It offers a wide range of products, systems and services designed to meet the day-to-day needs of laboratories, delivering innovative solutions to customers and enhancing the quality of life for patients. Additional company information is available on the Internet at www.dadebehring.com.
Source: Dade Behring
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