Randox Announce Worldwide Launch of Automated Biochemistry Assay for Heart-type Fatty Acid Binding Protein (H-FABP)

CRUMLIN, England, June 20, 2011 -

Highly sensitive & specific
biomarker of myocardial ischemia can now be used routinely for the
diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome (ACS).

Randox Laboratories, the international clinical diagnostics
company, has today launched an automated laboratory assay for
Heart-type Fatty Acid Binding Protein (H-FABP), to improve the
diagnosis and management of patients with suspected acute coronary
syndrome (ACS).

     (Photo:  href="www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20110620/463136">www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20110620/463136 )

This new rapid, fully quantitative assay means that H-FABP can
now be used routinely in the acute clinical setting; previous
laboratory assays were more suited to research.

Recent trials have shown that H-FABP provides highly significant
diagnostic value, especially during the early hours following ACS
symptom onset. Such results are particularly valuable in the early
period when current diagnostics struggle, and many patients are
conservatively admitted for observation, often unnecessarily. The
use of H-FABP, alongside Troponin, offers the potential to rule-out
ACS in many patients from the time of presentation.

These results have also been shown to apply with the new
generation of “high sensitivity” Troponins (hsTn). The results of
one recent study from the University of Manchester, UK, were
presented in Berlin in May. These results suggest that a
combination hsTnT, H-FABP and ECG on admission, will provide a
highly accurate rule-out test for AMI.

Lead author, Dr Rick Body, explains “We know from existing
evidence that H-FABP and troponin have additive diagnostic value.
 In a recent study, we showed that the combination of H-FABP
and troponin is more accurate for early diagnosis than troponin
alone and more accurate than other biomarker combinations”.

Dr. Body continues, ‘It is apparent that even a normal
hs-troponin level at presentation doesn’t rule out acute myocardial
infarction (AMI) without serial sampling.   This demonstrates
the clinical need for an early marker such as H-FABP”.

CEO of Randox Laboratories, Dr Peter Fitzgerald, believes this
assay revolutionises ACS management. “Hospitals can now utilise a
quantitative H-FABP assay, in combination with Troponin, as part of
their standard clinical protocol. This combination offers greater
potential for earlier ACS rule-out, better risk stratification and
improved management of ACS patients”. He continues, “The new Randox
H-FABP assay can be easily performed on a wide range of chemistry
analysers. We believe this represents a wonderful opportunity to
improve the management of patients with suspected ACS and improve
healthcare efficiency”.

For more information, please contact
cardiology href="mailto:cardiology@randox.com">@randox.com

Randox Laboratories Ltd. 55 Diamond Road, Crumlin, Co.
Antrim, BT29 4QY, United Kingdom

T: +44-(0)28-9442-2413 F: +44-(0)28-9445-2912
I: href="www.randox.com/">www.randox.com E:
href="mailto:cardiology@randox.com">cardiology@randox.com

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