WESTBROOK, Maine, July 27, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- IDEXX Laboratories,
Inc. (NASDAQ: IDXX) announced today that more than 8,000 clinics
have submitted over 100,000 specimens to IDEXX Reference
Laboratories for symmetric dimethylarginine, or SDMA, testing in
just the first 10 days since the breakthrough kidney function test
launched in the U.S. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a leading
cause of suffering and death in cats and dogs. The results from the
submitted specimens are consistent with generally accepted kidney
disease prevalence data showing that 1 in 3 cats1 and 1
in 10 dogs2 tested demonstrate some form of kidney
disease over their lifetime. Veterinary practitioners are already
realizing tremendous benefits from the SDMA test, which is now
automatically included in all routine chemistry panels from IDEXX
Reference Laboratories, at no additional cost and with no increase
in their rapid turnaround time.
Veterinarian surveys indicate the profession is poised to shift
to a higher standard of care by utilizing SDMA to diagnose kidney
disease. A recent survey of 440 veterinarians and practice managers
shows that veterinarians understand and believe in the benefits of
SDMA, and are ready to begin using the new parameter in their
practice standards. Overall, 91% of those surveyed plan to use SDMA
results in evaluating kidney function. In fact, 74% of respondents
believe that having SDMA in the routine chemistry panel will lead
to an increase in the frequency of preventive care chemistry
testing. Significantly, 88% of customers surveyed who do not
currently use IDEXX as their primary reference lab plan to submit
samples to IDEXX for SDMA testing.3
"IRIS recognizes that SDMA is a new biomarker for renal
dysfunction that can allow for earlier detection of chronic kidney
disease," said Astrid M. van Dongen,
DVM, DipRNVA (Internal Medicine), president of the IRIS board and
associate professor of internal medicine/nephrology, faculty of
veterinary medicine, Utrecht
University. "SDMA has the potential to expand diagnostic insight
and therapeutic opportunities for veterinarians caring for pets
with this critical disease."
IRIS is the International Renal Interest Society, a board of 15
world-renowned independent veterinarians with particular expertise
in nephrology, from 10 different countries.
SDMA is a groundbreaking new kidney biomarker that identifies
the onset of kidney disease months or even years earlier than
traditional methods, greatly expanding clinical insights and
treatment options in cats and dogs. The test arrived on the market
following an extensive pilot launch involving over 600 veterinary
practices and after eight years of research and clinical
studies that have culminated in the publication of 27 peer-reviewed
scientific and clinical publications to date.
"Kidney disease is a serious illness for both cats and dogs, one
that takes pets' lives too often because it is detected too late,"
said Trish Auge, DVM, of A Cat
Hospital in Henderson, Nev. "The
ability to identify chronic kidney disease earlier with SDMA means
that my clients and I can intervene and potentially help pets to
live longer and healthier lives."
Until now, kidney disease has been routinely diagnosed in part
by measuring blood creatinine. However, creatinine is limited in
that it cannot detect kidney disease until late in the disease
process, and it is known to have poor sensitivity in pets with low
muscle mass. Traditionally, a diagnosis is made when 75% of kidney
function has been irreversibly lost. At this point, the prognosis
is usually very poor. In recent clinical studies at Texas A&M University and Oregon State University, research revealed that
SDMA identified disease much earlier in the disease progression,
when the kidneys had suffered far less damage.
The Oregon State University study
demonstrated SDMA detected CKD up to four years earlier in at
least one animal. On average, SDMA detected kidney disease when
only 40%—and in some cases 25%—of function had been lost.
"Test results indicating increased SDMA in a 6-year-old, female
golden retriever identified abnormal kidney function and gave us
the confidence to perform a more comprehensive kidney workup," said
Andrea Kirsch, DVM, of Natomas
Veterinary Hospital in Sacramento,
Calif., a participant in early clinical trials for SDMA and
a coauthor of a case report on SDMA. "Without this latest
innovation from IDEXX, we would have missed a valuable opportunity
for early intervention in managing, treating and monitoring this
patient's disease."
With over 100,000 clinical data points, it is clear that SDMA
identifies significantly more pets with kidney disease than
creatinine can. In these patients, earlier detection allows
veterinarians to investigate for underlying causes, treat those
causes, manage the patient according to the appropriate
International Renal Interest Society (IRIS) stage, and customize an
appropriate monitoring plan, all with the goal of slowing the
progression of CKD.
The SDMA test will be available in Canadian routine chemistry
panels later this summer. A rollout in IDEXX's Global Reference
Laboratory network will extend into 2016.
For more information about SDMA, visit idexx.com/sdma or call
1-888-433-9987.
About IDEXX Laboratories
IDEXX Laboratories, Inc. is a leader in pet healthcare
innovation, serving practicing veterinarians around the world with
a broad range of diagnostic and information technology-based
products and services. IDEXX products enhance the ability of
veterinarians to provide advanced medical care, improve staff
efficiency and to build more economically successful practices.
IDEXX is also a worldwide leader in providing livestock and poultry
diagnostic tests and tests for the quality and safety of water and
milk. Headquartered in Maine,
IDEXX Laboratories employs more than 6,000 people and offers
products to customers in more than 175 countries.
Contact
Media Relations
IDEXX Laboratories
Elizabeth Hunt
1-207-556-4650
elizabeth-hunt@idexx.com
MSLGROUP
1-781-684-0770
idexx@mslgroup.com
Investor Relations
IDEXX Laboratories
Ed Garber
1-207-556-8155
edward-garber@idexx.com
References
- Lulich JP, Osborne CA, O'Brien TD, Polzin DJ. Feline renal
failure: questions, answers, questions. Compend Contin Educ
Pract Vet. 1992;14(2):127–153.
- Brown SA. Renal dysfunction in small animals. The Merck
Veterinary Manual website.
www.merckmanuals.com/vet/urinary_system/noninfectious_diseases_of_the_urinary_system_in_small_animals/renal_dysfunction_in_small_animals.html.
Updated October 2013. Accessed
July 7, 2015.
- Data on file at IDEXX Laboratories, Inc. Westbrook, Maine USA.
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