bioMérieux Teams Up with Clot Connect to Promote Early Diagnosis of Potentially Fatal Blood Clots

bioMérieux Inc., a world leader in the field of in vitro diagnostics, today announced that it is working together with Clot Connect, an educational outreach project of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the Hemophilia and Thrombosis Center, to build more national awareness about deep-vein thrombosis (DVT) and Pulmonary Embolism (PE). During March, which is DVT awareness month, bioMérieux implemented an educational campaign to provide information to medical practitioners and laboratories regarding the risk and complications of DVT and PE, and the benefits of rapid diagnosis. By working together to disseminate relevant information, Clot Connect and bioMérieux can reach a broader audience from patient to health care provider contributing to increase awareness of this medical problem.

DVT occurs when a clot forms in a vein, typically in the legs, causing pain and swelling. If the clot breaks free from its location in the leg vein, it can travel to the lungs causing PE, which is instantly fatal in 1 out of 4 patients. Many people suffer from DVT/PE, collectively known as venous thromboembolism (VTE). The exact number of people affected by VTE is unknown, but the CDC estimates that between 300,000 to 600,000 Americans each year develop a VTE; between 60,000 and 100,000 die as a result. Ten to 30 percent of these fatalities occur within one month of diagnosis and 25 percent occur instantly.¹

“DVT awareness month calls attention to DVT/PE, which is a significant cause of suffering and death in the U.S. The goal is to help people look for the signs of DVT and PE and to talk to their doctors about prevention and early diagnosis,” said Dr. John Olson, MD. PhD (Professor of Pathology, University of Texas Health Center, Director of Clinical Laboratories, University Health System and Chairperson for CLSI H-59A).“This is particularly important for those groups that are most likely to be affected, the immobile, pregnant women and other high-risk patients.”—

Clot Connect was founded by Stephan Moll, MD, Medical Director and Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine and Division of Hematology-Oncology at UNC Chapel Hill. Clot Connect's mission is to increase knowledge of clotting disorders by providing education and support resources for patients and health care professionals. bioMérieux is working with Clot Connect to help raise awareness of the often subtle warning signs and symptoms of DVTs and PE, a frequently fatal outcome of a misdiagnosed DVT.

“I thought I pulled a muscle at the gym,” said Beth Waldron, of the Hemophilia and Thrombosis Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and program director of Clot Connect. “Two weeks after the experience of the throbbing leg pain, I left the doctor’s office with antibiotics for chest pain that doctors misdiagnosed as a respiratory infection. A few days later, after suffering a much more severe PE, I was in the intensive care unit. I’m lucky to be alive.”

The fact that the symptoms of DVTs and PEs are so similar to more common conditions is why Waldron’s case and so many others are misdiagnosed. At the time, Waldron had none of the common risk factors; she didn’t smoke, she was active and was not being treated for cancer or with hormone replacement therapy. Additional testing revealed that Waldron has a genetic mutation that causes thrombophilia which makes her blood over-coagulate.

“As many as 50 percent of all DVTs are caused by thrombophilia, but the risks are additive,” she said. “Pregnancy, prolonged immobility, oral contraceptives and cancer therapy can all contribute to DVT in patients with or without thrombophilia. That’s why it’s so important to recognize the symptoms and to educate patients and doctors to be sensitive to these often very subtle symptoms.”

About DVT and D-Dimer

DVT and PE symptoms are non-specific and often patients presenting with suspected VTE don’t have a clotting issue. In such cases, patients are often subject to unnecessary radiological procedures before a final diagnosis can be made. The D-dimer biomarker, which is detected from simple blood tests, has been successfully used to exclude a diagnosis of DVT and PE in low-risk groups. Since D-dimer assays measure the degradation products of a blood clot, they are elevated in patients with DVT and PE, therefore negative D-dimer results in low risk groups can exclude a diagnosis of DVT and PE eliminating the need for additional radiological procedures. Positive D-dimer results, however, need to be confirmed with additional testing.

bioMérieux manufactures the VIDAS® D-Dimer Exclusion™ II, the most referenced test for excluding a diagnosis of DVT and PE . This test, which takes only 20 minutes, in conjunction with a clinical pretest probability (PTP) scoring, safely excludes DVT and PE disease in outpatients. Combining PTP assessment and VIDAS D-Dimer Exclusion II has been found to be safe and effective for excluding DVT and PE in intermediate and low risk groups of patients, thus avoiding invasive and costly imaging examinations.

About bioMérieux

Pioneering Diagnostics

A world leader in the field of in vitro diagnostics for 50 years, bioMérieux is present in more than 160 countries through 41 subsidiaries and a large network of distributors. In 2012, revenues reached €1.570 billion with 87% of sales outside of France.

bioMérieux provides diagnostic solutions (reagents, instruments, software) which determine the source of disease and contamination to improve patient health and ensure consumer safety. Its products are used for diagnosing infectious diseases and providing high medical value results for cancer screening and monitoring and cardiovascular emergencies. They are also used for detecting microorganisms in agri-food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic products.

bioMérieux is listed on the NYSE Euronext Paris market (Symbol: BIM – ISIN: FR0010096479). Other information can be found at www.biomerieux.com

¹ Are You at Risk for Deep Vein Thrombosis?: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention http://www.cdc.gov/features/thrombosis/

Contacts

Media Relations

bioMérieux
Allan Mohess
Tel: +1 919-479-3639
allan.mohess@bioMérieux.com

Baker & Yorke
Tim Baker
Tel: + 1 216-338-8086
tbaker@baker-yorke.com