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"By offering these personalized reports to physicians, we hope to maximizethe quality of care for patients, enhance communication between patients andproviders, and create a strong framework for patient education," said DeanSproles, CEO of Iverson Genetics. "Warfarin is the second most common drug,after insulin, implicated in emergency room visits for adverse drug reactions.We feel that DNA Direct's physician resource will enhance our customer'sexperience and help us to advance this important type of testing into standardpatient care."
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Over two million patients are prescribed warfarin in the United Stateseach year, one third of whom metabolize it differently than expected andexperience a higher risk of bleeding.(1) Approximately 85,000 serious bleedingevents and 17,000 strokes each year could be prevented by formally integratinggenetic testing into warfarin treatment, potentially saving up to $1.1 billionannually.(2)
"We believe DNA Direct's clinical resources and genetic expertise willprovide additional value to both physicians and patients through thisweb-based solution," said Ryan Phelan, founder and CEO of DNA Direct. "Thiscollaboration will enable Iverson to offer a time-saving solution forphysicians that also harnesses the Web's potential for enhancing patient careand maximizes the value of this diagnostic."
The web-enabled reports will be personalized to the patient's actual testresults, explaining the implications for both general drug response andwarfarin dosing. The reports will also explain how genes affect drug response,what factors impact warfarin dosing and what next steps may be mostappropriate. Patients will be able to download a copy of their lab report, aswell as a clinical summary letter to be shared with their physicians. Patientsmay return to their report at a later date to determine how metabolism statusmay impact drug response for certain additional medications.
In August 2007, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) updatedlabeling on warfarin, the oral anticoagulant most frequently used to controland prevent thromboembolic disorders, indicating that people with variationsof the genes CYP2C9 and VKORC1 may respond differently to the drug(1). FDAblack box warnings flag physicians that patients over 65 years of age carry ahigher risk for bleeding and require special vigilance. This information,combined with several clinical studies, has encouraged physicians to recommendgenetic testing to better support determining a patient's optimal dose. Toohigh of a dose contributes to life-threatening bleeding, and too low a doseplaces the patient at risk of life-threatening blood clots.
About Iverson Genetic Diagnostics, Inc.
Iverson Genetic Diagnostics is a privately held company headquartered atInstitute for Systems Biology. Iverson provides genetic testing servicesnationwide with service representatives calling on physicians and clinics inWashington, Oregon, Texas, Idaho, Montana and Alaska. With a CLIA laboratoryand MTS (Medical Testing Site) certification for high complexity moleculargenetic testing, Iverson has the capacity for processing 17,500 tests permonth. Additional information about Iverson Genetic Diagnostics, Inc. isavailable at http://www.iversongenetics.com or call toll free (877) 894-4841.
About DNA Direct
DNA Direct is a San Francisco-
