Medco Announces Research Collaboration with FDA Focused on Personalized MedicineFRANKLIN LAKES, N.J., Aug. 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Medco Health Solutions, Inc. (NYSE: MHS), the nation's leading pharmacy benefit manager, announced it and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have entered into a research partnership to study genetic testing and the impact of genetics on the efficacy of prescription drugs. The announcement adds credence to the emerging science of personalized medicine and will expand the body of evidence for the consideration of personal genetics in how doctors prescribe drugs. Under the partnership, Medco and the FDA will jointly develop research projects, programs and strategies in the area of pharmacogenomics, collectively aimed at improving patient health and quality in the delivery of care. Pharmacogenomics is the science of capturing a patient's genetic information to help predict how a person is likely to respond to a wide variety of drugs, including commonly used prescriptions such as pain relievers, anticoagulants, and cancer drugs. This information has a bearing on what drug is selected and may help optimize doses for particular drugs. Commercial tests are currently available to identify the appropriateness of specific drug treatments based upon a patient's genetic profile. "An increasing number of drugs are including genetic information in their labels and we're finding out how genes affect some drugs that have been widely used for generations," said Medco's Chief Medical Officer Dr. Robert Epstein. "Studying this field can advance pharmacy care to remove some of the trial and error in how medications are prescribed." Research Partnership "Medco's partnership with the FDA should help establish gene testing as a tool to help lower health care costs and improve the quality of care," Epstein said. "This will come from reducing waste from treatments that do not work and also from helping prevent unnecessary hospitalizations from incorrect dosages or other adverse drug events." Medco plans on submitting portions of the research from this partnership to peer-reviewed journals for publication with an eye on building the body of evidence supporting the value of these tests. Medco has existing research collaborations with Mayo Clinic studying genetic consideration in the use of warfarin, and with LabCorp regarding breast cancer patients using tamoxifen. Completion of the tamoxifen study is expected this year and the warfarin study is anticipated next year. The company anticipates additional development partnerships with private companies, academic institutions and other health care entities. Pharmacogenomics Revolution About Medco This press release contains "forward-looking statements" as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements involve risks and uncertainties that may cause results to differ materially from those set forth in the statements. No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed, and actual results may differ materially from those projected. We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. Forward-looking statements in this press release should be evaluated together with the risks and uncertainties that affect our business, particularly those mentioned in the Risk Factors section of the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. SOURCE: Medco Health Solutions, Inc. Contact: Jennifer Luddy of Medco Health Solutions, Inc., +1-201-269-6402, jennifer_luddy@medco.com; or Janet Schiller or Bill Borden, both of Coyne Public Relations, +1-973-316-1665, Web site: http://www.medco.com/ |