SAN DIEGO and FRANKLIN LAKES, N.J., Aug. 15, 2011 /PRNewswire/
— Prometheus Laboratories Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical and
diagnostics company that is part of Nestle Health Science, and the
Medco Research Institute®, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of
Medco Health Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:
MHS), today announced that they have entered into a
collaboration to evaluate the use of Prometheus’ Thiopurine
Metabolite (PTM) testing for optimizing dosing of 6 mercaptopurine
(6MP) or azathioprine (Aza) in patients with inflammatory bowel
disease (IBD). Optimization of dosing could lead to improved drug
response and delay progression to more aggressive therapy.
(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100609/MEDCOLOGO)
Thiopurine immunomodulators, such as 6MP or its pro-drug Aza,
are effective medical treatments for IBD when appropriately dosed.
However, studies have shown that patients are frequently under
dosed which can decrease the efficacy of these drugs. Through PTM
testing, doctors may be able to select those patients who would
benefit from dose adjustments and those that may have a risk of
toxicity. Patients who are not responding due to lack of
compliance could also be identified. This collaboration will
evaluate whether PTM testing, used early after the decision is made
to prescribe thiopurines, increases the time that patients remain
on these drugs and thus reduces the rate at which patients
transition to expensive alternative treatments.
“We believe that this collaboration provides an opportunity to
show how our Prometheus Thiopurine Metabolite test can be used to
optimize immunomodulator therapy for IBD patients,” said Joseph
Limber, Prometheus’s Chief Executive Officer. “The results of
this pilot project could help provide evidence supporting the
clinical value and cost effectiveness of the routine use of this
testing in patients tak
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