Results of the PEACE large prospective study presented at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2009 : Aterovax SA, a company developing innovative products for atherosclerosis, announced at the AHA scientific sessions (November 14-18, 2009, Orlando, USA) data demonstrating that its blood test for secrtory phospholipase A2 (sPLA2) activity significantly improves cardiovascular risk prediction in patients with stable coronary artery disease (CAD) over a 5 year period, independent of established risk markers, including C-reactive protein. sPLA2 is a family of pro-inflammatory enzymes liked to the formation and destabilization of atherosclerotic plaques. Aterovax's sPLA2 activity test was used in 3778 patients in the PEACE (Prevention of Events with Angiotensin Converting Enzyme Inhibition) trial and the results were presented at the American Heart Association's annual scientific sessions. "There is growing evidence that testing for sPLA2 may provide an additional layer of information that goes above and beyond traditional cardiovascular risk factors and biomarkers", noted lead investigator in the study, Michelle O'Donoghue of the TIMI Study Group, Cardiovascular Division, Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. "This study continues to support the role of sPLA2 activity as a prognostic tool for assessing cardiovascular risk," Dominique SURUN, CEO of Aterovax explained. "We believe our test for sPLA2 activity, once approved, could provide highly relevant information to help identify individuals who are at increased risk of cardiovascular events". Study details The PEACE trial is a randomized, multi-center study of trandolapril vs placebo in 8 290 patients with stable coronary artery disease (CAD). sPLA2 activity levels identified individuals at risk of cardiovascular death (CVD) and the combination of CVD, myocardial infarction (MI) or stroke during 5 years of follow up. After adjusting for baseline differences, individuals with the highest levels of sPLA2 activity had a 78% higher risk of CVD and a 56% higher risk of CVD, MI or stroke than patients with the lowest levels of sPLA2 activity. In addition, sPLA2 activity was a stronger marker for risk prediction than other established biomarkers, including C-reactive protein an lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2.
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