Cholestech Release: Role Of Cholesterol Lowering Drugs In Heart Failure Patients Evaluated In Yale University Medical Center's Heart Study

NEW HAVEN, Conn., Nov. 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Heart failure is the number one cause of hospitalization in people over the age of 65. A breakthrough study being conducted at Yale Medical Center is evaluating the role of statin therapy in heart failure patients. While statins have been shown to be very effective for lowering cholesterol levels, heart failure patients who suffer from reduced vascular function are not currently considered for statin therapy.

The Yale trial, "Short Term Effects of Statin on Vascular Function in Heart Failure," is designed to prospectively assess vascular function before and after a short course of statin therapy in 30 heart failure patients with normal cholesterol levels. The randomized trial involves monitoring the effects of a short course of statin therapy on vascular function in patients with mild to moderate chronic heart failure. The Cholestech LDX(R) System will be used to check cholesterol/LDL levels at baseline and at the conclusion of the study.

"While reduction of LDL cholesterol is a primary cardioprotective effect of statins, recent research suggests that statins may have additional benefits," said Stuart D. Katz, MD, director of the Heart Failure and Transplantation Clinic at Yale Medical Center. "Long-term statin therapy has been associated with improved vascular function in heart failure patients with concomitant hypercholesterolemia. However, there are no data available regarding the short-term effects of statin therapy in heart failure patients with normal cholesterol levels. Based on the ability of the LDX System to rapidly and accurately screen patients, we are now able to gather this data and evaluate potential impact on the care of heart failure patients."

Nearly five million Americans are living with heart failure, and 550,000 new cases are diagnosed each year. According to the American Heart Association, cardiovascular disease has been the number one cause of death in the U.S. for more than 100 years. While smoking and other risk factors have declined in recent years, high cholesterol remains one of the most prevalent. The National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) recommends that everyone over the age of 20, or more than 200 million Americans, should be screened for cholesterol.

Using a small drop of blood, the Cholestech LDX System measures cholesterol, glucose, liver enzymes, ALT and AST, and now, high sensitivity C- reactive protein (hs-CRP). This enhances the ability of physicians to quickly identify patients who are at the most risk for heart disease and offer treatment and/or counseling in the same office visit. Generating comprehensive, lab-accurate results in minutes, the LDX System enables physicians to focus on getting patients the right treatment sooner and making sure they stay on the right therapeutic mix, rather than chasing down lab results.

The Cholestech LDX System has been certified by the Cholesterol Reference Method Laboratory Network (CRMLN), which validates that the system consistently meets the gold standard for accuracy and reproducibility developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for cholesterol measurement consistent with NCEP analytical goals.

"We are proud to support ground-breaking research such as this heart failure trial. Already a leading cholesterol monitoring tool, the LDX System is increasingly being used in clinical research based on its certified ability to generate comprehensive, lab-accurate results in minutes," said Warren E. Pinckert II, president and CEO of Cholestech. "We commend the researchers at Yale as this study could have a dramatic impact on how heart failure is monitored and treated."

About Cholestech

Cholestech is committed to enabling people to lead longer, healthier and more active lives. Cholestech provides easy to use, accessible diagnostic tools and information to health care practitioners in over 35 countries around the world. Cholestech offers efficient and economic diagnostic testing for cholesterol and related lipids, blood glucose and glycemic control, and liver function at the point of care. Health care providers can use the CLIA-waived Cholestech LDX(R) and GDX(TM) Systems to initiate and monitor the progress of patient therapy. By providing effective disease management solutions, Cholestech's goal is to be a leading provider of diagnostic tools and information for immediate risk assessment and therapeutic monitoring of heart disease and diabetes.

NOTE: Cholestech LDX(R) is a registered trademark and Cholestech GDX(TM) is a trademark of Cholestech Corporation. All other trademarks mentioned in this document are the property of their respective owners. For more information about Cholestech and its products, visit us on the web at www.cholestech.com.

Cholestech Corporation

CONTACT: Chris K. Joseph of ckj Communications, +1-510-339-2293, orchris@ckjcomm.com, for Cholestech; or Karen Peart of Yale Medical Center,+1-203-432-1326, or karen.peart@yale.edu

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