Accumetrics' Plavix prognostic:
This article was originally published in Clinica
Executive Summary
Accumetrics has received US FDA clearance to market its VerifyNow P2Y12 blood test for determining a patient's response to Plavix (clopidogrel) - a drug used by almost 10 million patients in the US to prevent heart attack or stroke. According to the San Diego, California-based firm, some 5-30% of patients do not respond adequately to the drug. The easy-to-perform test, which provides results in less than 15 minutes, works by measuring the inhibiting effect of Plavix on platelets - blood cells primarily responsible for clotting. The test can also be used to assess a patient's clotting function prior to surgery. The company also markets VerifyNow tests for aspirin and GP IIb/IIIa inhibitors.