WESTBROOK, Maine, Oct. 5, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- IDEXX
Laboratories, Inc. (NASDAQ: IDXX) today announced that the
International Renal Interest Society (IRIS) has now added symmetric
dimethylarginine (SDMA) to their chronic kidney disease (CKD)
staging guidelines. Since the SDMA test became commercially
available from IDEXX in July, more than 12,000 clinics have
submitted over one million blood samples to IDEXX Reference
Laboratories for SDMA testing. Results from these tests show that
SDMA has helped veterinarians detect early-stage kidney disease in
more than 90,000 cats and dogs when their creatinine values were
still normal. The SDMA test is now automatically included in all
routine chemistry panels from IDEXX Reference Laboratories at no
additional cost and is transforming how veterinarians detect and
manage chronic kidney disease in cats and dogs.
"Screening with SDMA has enabled my team to proactively detect
and begin treating pets for kidney disease while the kidneys are
still functioning," said Dr. Kate
Pietsch of Anchor Animal Hospital, Dartmouth, Mass. "The test has also inspired
me to begin proactively educating pet owners about kidney disease
early in pets' lives to encourage them to be extra vigilant about
screening and monitoring for symptoms."
IDEXX now has one of the largest databases on the prevalence of
chronic kidney disease, with over one million SDMA results
generated to date across cats and dogs of all ages and breeds. SDMA
is identifying over 2 times the number of pets with early
CKD than traditional methods. In other words, without the SDMA
test, one out of every two cats and dogs with early
stage CKD would have been missed by traditional testing
methods.1 Of note, in the first one million animals
tested with SDMA, CKD was seen more frequently as pets progressed
in age, providing solid evidence that as dogs and cats age they are
more likely to develop CKD. This early data provides additional
support for the numerous peer-reviewed scientific studies that show
SDMA is a highly reliable marker of CKD and that it correlates with
creatinine in advanced disease.
"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, a board of 15 world-renowned independent veterinarians
from 10 different countries with particular expertise in
nephrology, recently added SDMA testing to their 2015 IRIS CKD
Staging Guidelines:
"SDMA concentrations in blood
(plasma or serum) may be a more sensitive biomarker of renal
function than blood creatinine. A persistent increase in SDMA above
14 µg/dl suggests reduced renal function and may be a reason to
consider a dog or cat with creatinine values <1.4 or <1.6
mg/dl, respectively, as IRIS CKD Stage 1."
"In IRIS CKD Stage 2 patients with
low body condition scores, SDMA ≥25 µg/dl may indicate the degree
of renal dysfunction has been underestimated. Consider treatment
recommendations listed under IRIS CKD Stage 3 for this
patient."
"In IRIS CKD Stage 3 patients with
low body condition scores, SDMA ≥45 µg/dl may indicate the degree
of renal dysfunction has been underestimated. Consider treatment
recommendations listed under IRIS CKD Stage 4 for this
patient."
The IRIS CKD Staging Guidelines can be found on the IRIS
website,
www.iris-kidney.com/guidelines/guidelines_updates_2014-2015.shtml.
"SDMA represents the most significant diagnostic innovation in
veterinary medicine in 30 years, especially given the prevalence of
chronic kidney disease in cats and dogs. IRIS has recognized the
medical science behind the test and its value, helping
veterinarians identify kidney disease earlier when there's still
time to do something about it," said Jonathan W. Ayers, president and chief executive
officer of IDEXX Laboratories. "The introduction earlier this year
of the new SDMA test is an outgrowth of our commitment to ongoing
investment in R&D and new product development in veterinary
medicine."
About IDEXX Laboratories, Inc.
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.
IDEXX
Laboratories
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Media
Relations
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781-684-0770
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Elizabeth
Hunt
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idexx@mslgroup.com
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207-556-4650
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elizabeth-hunt@idexx.com
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Reference
1. Data on file at IDEXX Laboratories, Inc.
Westbrook, Maine USA.
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SOURCE IDEXX Laboratories, Inc.