Study results pending publication in July print edition of Clinical

                        Chemistry, available on Web



    INDIANAPOLIS, July 23 /EMWNews/ -- A Roche Diagnostics-sponsored

pilot study evaluating the use of N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide

(NT-proBNP) confirms the potential value of NT-proBNP for risk

stratification in predicting the risk of cardiovascular adverse events

(CV-AE) in patients treated with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs of

the COX inhibitor class.



    The complete results of the study, currently available at

http://www.clinchem.org , are scheduled for publication in the July print edition

of Clinical Chemistry.



    Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) -- for example,

acetylsalicylic acid and ibuprofen -- are the best known inhibitors of COX

(cyclo-oxygenase), an enzyme involved in the inflammation pathway. This

inhibition provides relief from the symptoms of the inflammation process;

for example, fever and pain.



    These drugs are routinely used to treat patients with osteoarthritis,

rheumatoid arthritis and other pathologies associated with inflammation.

However, studies with newer NSAIDs such as the selective COX-2 inhibitors

(also called coxibs) have resulted in concern that there might be an

increase in the risk of heart attack, thrombosis or stroke associated with

long-term, high-dosage use of coxibs. Traditional NSAIDs (tNSAIDs)

demonstrate comparable risks in observational studies.



    Cardiovascular risk could be predicted



    A pilot study(1) examined whether the risk of CV-AE could be predicted

by measuring the NT-proBNP concentration in patients taking

anti-inflammatory drugs. Baseline samples were measured by Elecsys proBNP

(Roche Diagnostics) in 433 patients with osteoarthritis of the knees, with

or without osteoarthritis of the hands, during an observational period of

200 days.



    Cardiovascular adverse events -- including myocardial infarction,

stroke, new or worsening of pre-existing arterial hypertension, congestive

heart failure, and several less severe CV events -- were monitored and

retrospectively related to the use of coxibs, tNSAIDs and glucocorticoids.



    NT-proBNP value of 100 ng/L as cut-off



    The results of the pilot study showed that NT-proBNP values greater

than 100 ng/L could be linked to an increase in the cardiovascular risk. Of

the 433 patients, 82 mild-to-serious CV-AE were observed (18.9%) during the

200 days. Most of these events were observed in patients with NT-proBNP

concentrations .100 ng/L. The risk for CV-AE in patients with NT-proBNP

values .100 ng/L was 1.95-fold higher (p        


          
    About Roche



    Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Roche is one of the world's

leading research-focused healthcare groups in the fields of pharmaceuticals

and diagnostics. As the world's biggest biotech company and an innovator of

products and services for the early detection, prevention, diagnosis and

treatment of diseases, the Group contributes on a broad range of fronts to

improving people's health and quality of life. Roche is the world leader in

in-vitro diagnostics and drugs for cancer and transplantation, and is a

market leader in virology. It is also active in other major therapeutic

areas such as autoimmune diseases, inflammatory and metabolic disorders and

diseases of the central nervous system. In 2007, sales by the

Pharmaceuticals Division totalled 36.8 billion Swiss francs, and the

Diagnostics Division posted sales of 9.3 billion francs. Roche has R&D

agreements and strategic alliances with numerous partners, including

majority ownership interests in Genentech and Chugai, and invested over 8

billion Swiss francs in R&D in 2007. Worldwide, the Group employs about

79,000 people. Additional information is available on the Internet at

http://www.roche.com .



    References



    (1) Brune K, Katus HA, Moecks J, Spanuth E, Jaffe AS, Giannitsis E. The

Concentration of N-Terminal Pro-B-type Natriuretic Peptide Predicts the

Risk of Cardiovascular Adverse Events from Antiinflammatory Drugs: A Pilot

Trial. Clin Chem. May 1, 2008 (electronic publication ahead of print), to

be published in July 2008.



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