SAN FRANCISCO, April 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Demonstrating broad adoption of the fast, accurate office-based method of checking cholesterol, Cholestech Corporation , a leader in physician office testing, celebrated the use of more than 50 million test cassettes for the Cholestech LDX(R) System for lipid monitoring. Cholestech announced the milestone at the 2005 Annual Session of the American College of Physicians (ACP), held April 14-16.
According to the American Heart Association, cardiovascular disease has been the number one cause of death in the United States for more than 100 years. Some 2,500 Americans die of heart disease every day -- equal to the next five causes of death combined. While smoking and other risk factors have declined in recent years, high cholesterol remains one of the most prevalent among all ages, sexes and ethnicities. The National Cholesterol Education Program, developed by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), recommends that more than 200 million Americans need to be screened for cholesterol annually.
“Our practice adopted the Cholestech LDX in 2001 to help manage our patients’ cholesterol levels because it generates accurate results in minutes rather than days. This allows us to test for cholesterol, review the results and provide counsel on treatment options all in the same office visit,” said Alan Glaser, MD, an internist at Newton-Wellesley Hospital. The result is better care for patients without the need to come back or call in for results.
“Cholesterol screening remains a crucial step in the identification of people at risk for heart disease because treatment is proven to saves lives. The LDX System enables the physician’s office to focus on getting patients on the right treatment sooner and making sure they stay on the right therapeutic mix, rather than chasing down lab results. Since we spend less time on administration, we can spend more time with each patient, and, that’s a tremendous benefit to my practice of medicine,” Dr Glaser added.
The Cholestech LDX System, used in the physician’s office, generates comprehensive, lab accurate results in five minutes. This allows physicians to test for cholesterol, review test results and provide counsel on treatment options all in the same office visit. Using a single drop of blood, the test can measure a patient’s lipid profile to determine overall cholesterol levels, liver enzymes, and soon, high sensitivity C-Reactive Protein (hs-CRP). The lipid profile includes total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) known as “good” cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL) or “bad” cholesterol, and triglycerides, a form of fat that often results in high total cholesterol, increasing a patient’s risk for heart disease.
“As we move past 50 million LDX System cassettes used in clinical practice for lipid monitoring, it is clear that this technology is an integral component to the effective measurement and management of cholesterol,” said Warren E. Pinckert II, president and CEO of Cholestech. “As a community, we’ve made significant progress in the battle against high cholesterol, but when the American Heart Association estimates that more than 50 million adult Americans have never had a cholesterol test, we still have a long way to go. We hope that the recent addition of coverage of preventative cholesterol screening for Medicare members will drive broader access to this important tool, and improve cardiac care throughout the nation.”
Beginning in 2005 as part of the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act (MMA), all Medicare beneficiaries now have access to preventive cholesterol screening blood tests for the early detection of cardiovascular disease and all new Medicare members will be covered for an initial physical examination. Both include the use of three tests to detect early risk for cardiovascular disease, including a total cholesterol, an HDL-cholesterol, and a triglycerides test, which can be ordered as a lipid panel or individually.
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.
Safe Harbor Statement of Cholestech Corporation Under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995:
This release contains forward-looking statements as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements regarding: the anticipated introduction of new products. Actual results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements due to risks and uncertainties, including: the outcome of ongoing research and development efforts; risks inherent in the regulatory approval process and other factors. Additional considerations and important risk factors are described in Cholestech’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Cholestech Corporation
CONTACT: Warren E. Pinckert II, President and Chief Executive Officer ofCholestech Corporation, +1-510-732-7200, or wpinckert@cholestech.com; or ChrisK. Joseph of ckj Communications, +1-510-339-2293, or chris@ckjcomm.com, forCholestech