San Francisco–based diaDexus, a company focused on proprietary cardiovascular diagnostic products, reported highlights from two recent studies evaluating the clinical utility of its PLACR Test for Lp-PLA(2) activity.

The PLACR Test for Lp-PLA(2) activity measures the pro-inflammatory enzymatic activity of Lp-PLA(2), and is CE-marked for use outside the U.S. and is an investigational assay in the U.S. The test was used to examine patient samples from two well-known clinical studies of statins, LIPID and JUPITER.

The LIPID trial was a randomized controlled trial to determine the effects of cholesterol lowering on death from coronary heart disease among patients with coronary disease and average lipid levels. The analyses of the trial indicate that a reduction in Lp-PLA(2) levels may impact coronary heart disease outcomes more than a reduction in LDL cholesterol in response to statin therapy.

“The LIPID trial found that the more you lower Lp-PLA(2), the more you reduce the risk of coronary heart disease,” said Brian E. Ward, Ph.D., CEO, diaDexus. “This is compelling because Lp-PLA(2) levels have not been measured this way in prior studies.

The JUPITER trial was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study that investigated whether rosuvastatin 20mg compared to a placebo would decrease the rate of first major cardiovascular events. The trial demonstrated that Lp-PLA(2) levels are predictive of cardiovascular events in apparently healthy men and women. Additionally, JUPITER showed a positive trend between lower Lp-PLA(2) levels and cardiovascular outcomes as a response to statins.

“Taken together, the LIPID and JUPITER analyses performed by our PLACR Test for Lp-PLA(2) activity should be of great interest to physicians, their patients and advisory bodies, especially as they understand the differences in the two study populations,” added Ward.