ITASCA IL--(Marketwire - April 01, 2010) - AtCor Medical (ASX: ACG), the developer and marketer of the SphygmoCor® system, which measures central blood pressures and arterial stiffness noninvasively, today announced that it has signed a new agreement with a leading international pharmaceutical company to supply SphygmoCor systems and clinical trials support services. The $955,000 contract is a new agreement with an existing AtCor customer. A large part of the contract value will be recognized in the current financial year. AtCor has an ongoing pipeline of new business opportunities and anticipates additional pharmaceutical contracts in the current financial year.
“This is a significant contract, which confirms AtCor’s strong market position as the leading provider of noninvasive central blood pressure measurement in clinical trials. The new agreement demonstrates that AtCor’s growing reputation for high levels of customer satisfaction is being recognized through expanded business with long-term clients,” said Duncan Ross CEO of AtCor Medical.
“Scientific publications continue to reinforce the importance of using central blood pressure as a measurement,” Ross continued. “Using our SphygmoCor technology the, NIH-funded Strong Heart Study showed that increased central pressure is associated with cardiovascular risk. It found that when central pulse pressure rises above 50 mm Hg, patient risk of heart attack, stroke, and kidney disease nearly doubles, while no such association was shown for brachial pulse pressure measurements taken at the arm. Understanding a drug’s effect on central pressure is vitally important in assessing efficacy and in assuring drug safety. It is equally important in patient care.”
Noninvasive central blood pressure measurement reveals important drug effects
The importance of measuring the effect of drugs on central pressure was most recently demonstrated in research(1) using AtCor’s SphygmoCor technology, which was presented at the 2010 Annual Meeting of the American College of Cardiology. The study compared a combination of the Novartis renin inhibitor aliskiren and the diuretic hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) in the treatment of 332 hypertensive African Americans with Stage 2 hypertension. Although the two drug regimens produced similar reductions in cuff blood pressure measurements at the arm, the aliskiren and HCTZ combination resulted in a significantly greater reduction in central blood pressure, the pressure the brain, heart and kidneys actually experience.
About AtCor Medical
AtCor Medical develops and markets products for the early detection of cardiovascular risk and management of cardiovascular disease. Its technology allows researchers and clinicians to measure central blood pressure noninvasively. The company’s SphygmoCor system visibly identifies the effects of reflected blood pressure in the central aortic pressure wave, effects which cannot be detected with standard blood pressure monitoring. More than 2,100 SphygmoCor systems are currently in use worldwide at major medical institutions, research centers and in various clinical trials with leading pharmaceutical companies. The company’s technology has been featured in over six hundred peer-reviewed studies in leading medical journals, making it the global reference standard for noninvasive central pressure and pulse wave velocity measurement. AtCor has operations in Australia, the United States and Europe. For more information, please visit our web site at www.atcormedical.com.
(1) Responses to Aliskiren/HCTZ versus Amlodipine and Central Blood Pressure in African Americans with Stage 2 Hypertension, K Ferdinand, J. Pool, R. Weitzman, D.Purkayastha, R. Townsend, Presented at ACC.10 March 14-16, 2010 Atlanta GA
Contacts:
Duncan Ross AtCor Medical CEO
630-799-8221
Larry Watts AtCor Medical Marketing Service
630-228-8875
