Osmetech Licenses Warfarin Biomarker from Marshfield Clinic

Marshfield Clinic and Osmetech have announced an exclusive licensing agreement for a new warfarin biomarker discovered at Marshfield Clinic.

Under the agreement, Osmetech plc will develop, manufacture and sell a genetic test based on Marshfield Clinic research that will determine the initial level of warfarin a patient should be prescribed.

Researchers at Marshfield Clinic Research Foundation, led by Michael Caldwell, M.D., Ph.D., are working to discover ways to more accurately predict dosage levels for warfarin, which is used as an anticoagulant. Warfarin is a commonly prescribed drug that has a high frequency of adverse drug events.

Every year, about 2 million patients in the United States begin warfarin therapy to prevent blood clots, heart attacks and stroke, according to estimates by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Currently, doctors rely on frequent blood tests to determine how well a patient’s warfarin dosage is working and adjust dosages accordingly. The optimum dosage for each patient is different, based on age, diet, medications in use and genetic factors.

James White, Chief Executive, Osmetech plc, said: “We are excited to add this new SNP to our warfarin product which is due to be submitted later this year to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.”

“The marker provides additional information to improve the dosage accuracy over any other product on the market and will be run on our recently introduced XT-8 instrument. In combination, this will give Osmetech a compelling product offering that we plan to market in the first half of 2008. The addition of unique content to our compelling XT-8 instrument will further enhance our ability to become a significant player in the molecular diagnostic market.”