ORLANDO, Fla., Feb. 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The Medicines Company today announced its support of two landmark initiatives on acute severe hypertension: a first-of-its-kind patient observational study (registry) to be conducted by The Center for Outcomes Research, University of Massachusetts Medical School and a large-scale clinical survey to be conducted by The Ohio State University. Both initiatives are designed to provide insights into the demographics, clinical descriptors, contemporary treatment, and outcomes of patients with hypertensive emergency. The data, once collected, will be used to improve patient care and to provide focus for future clinical research priorities.
Acute severe hypertension, a life-threatening condition affecting nearly three million patients in the US annually, is found in conjunction with conditions such as stroke, acute myocardial infarction, aortic dissection, heart failure, end stage renal disease (hypertensive emergencies) and following many surgeries, especially cardiac, neurological, and vascular surgeries (perioperative hypertension).
“The data generated by these two pioneering initiatives will be the first comprehensive look into the condition, patient outcomes and patterns of treatment for acute severe hypertension,” said Clive Meanwell, Chief Executive Officer of The Medicines Company. “The Medicines Company’s support of the registry and survey demonstrates our commitment to further understanding acute severe hypertension and our determination to continuously strive to improve the outcomes of patients who face this life-threatening condition.”
The registry project will be conducted by the Center for Outcomes Research, University of Massachusetts Medical School, supported by a planned research grant from The Medicines Company. The registry will gather information on the frequency of hypertensive emergencies, patient characteristics, management practices and patient outcomes from physicians who treat emergency room and critical care patients. The first phase of the registry will involve 10 hospital sites and 200 patients. Eventually, the registry will include up to 50 sites and 2,500 patients.
“Currently, there is surprisingly little information regarding severe acute hypertension, even though this is a common condition,” said Christopher Granger, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine, Duke University Clinical Research Institute and Chair of the Registry Steering Committee. “Our goal is to gather information on patient characteristics and track how their acute hypertension is managed. Ultimately, we would like to provide insight into how to better manage these patients in order to optimize patient outcomes.”
The Ohio State University College of Pharmacy is conducting a large-scale survey of more than 7,000 practitioners who treat acute severe hypertension in the hospital setting, supported by a research grant from The Medicines Company. The survey will target critical care clinical pharmacists, critical care specialists, emergency medicine doctors and cardiologists, in order to gather significant data on patterns and perspectives on acute severe hypertensive treatment across disciplines.
“The survey is an exciting undertaking that should vastly improve our understanding of the current treatment practices surrounding acute severe hypertension. We expect findings of the survey to prove invaluable to health care professionals and the patients they serve,” said Joseph Dasta, MS, FCCM, FCCP, Professor of Pharmacy, The Ohio State University.
The Medicines Company also announced the launch of its Mission Control BP STAT educational website, www.MissionControlBPSTAT.com, for the medical community. The website will serve as a portal for the latest information on acute severe hypertension and the common diseases in which acute severe hypertension manifests itself.
“The purpose of Mission Control BP STAT is to empower the medical community with the means to affect positive patient outcomes by providing educational materials, and the latest research on acute severe hypertension,” said Malcolm Lloyd, Senior Medical Director, The Medicines Company. “The Mission Control BP STAT website will serve as an interactive community to foster communications between physicians, clinical pharmacists and nurses who treat acute severe hypertension.”
For more information on the registry and survey, please visit www.MissionControlBPSTAT.com.
About Severe Hypertension
Acute severe hypertension is a rapid increase in blood pressure that can lead to damaged blood vessels, inflaming and causing a leak of fluid or blood and effects nearly three million people annually. As a result, the heart may not be able to maintain adequate circulation of blood and irreversible organ damage may occur within the central nervous system, heart, vasculature and kidneys. It occurs in the intensive care unit, emergency department, or perioperative arena and is often found in conjunction with stroke, myocardial infarction, heart failure, advanced renal disease or during serious cardiac, neurological, or vascular procedures. It is critical to safely reduce blood pressure as soon as possible to avoid catastrophic outcomes such as organ damage or failure and limit morbidity and mortality.
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About The Medicines Company
The Medicines Company is committed to delivering innovative, cost- effective acute care hospital products in the worldwide hospital marketplace. The Company markets Angiomax(R) (bivalirudin) in the U.S. and other countries for use in patients undergoing coronary angioplasty, a procedure to clear restricted blood flow in arteries around the heart. The Company also has two products in late-stage development, Cleviprex(TM) (clevidipine) and cangrelor. The Company’s website is http://www.themedicinescompany.com.
Statements contained in this press release about The Medicines Company that are not purely historical, and all other statements that are not purely historical, may be deemed to be forward-looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor provisions under The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Without limiting the foregoing, the words “believes,” “anticipates” and “expects” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause the Company’s actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Important factors that may cause or contribute to such differences are set forth in the risk factors detailed from time to time in the Company’s periodic reports and registration statements filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission including, without limitation, the risk factors detailed in the Company’s prospectus supplement filed on January 16, 2007, which are incorporated herein by reference. The Company specifically disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements.
The Medicines Company
CONTACT: Media, Jackie Krieger, Biosector 2, +1-212-845-5612,JKrieger@biosector2.com; Investors, Michael Mitchell, Executive Director,Corporate Affairs, The Medicines Company, +1-973-656-1616,investor.relations@themedco.com
