Roche Developing Companion Diagnostic for Dalcetrapib

Roche has agreed to develop a companion diagnostic for DalCor Pharmaceuticals’ investigational therapy dalcetrapib.  The test will be used to target patients with a specific genotype who have suffered an acute coronary syndrome event.

The test will be incorporated into a Phase 3 clinical trial evaluating dalcetrapib, which according to a recent study by the Montreal Heart Institute may reduce cardiovascular events and death by up to 39 percent in patients within a specific genetic profile.

Paul Brown, head of Roche Molecular Diagnostics, said that developing the companion diagnostic disease for heart disease will help to leverage the firm’s expertise CDx tests and personalized medicine.

In the U.S., acute coronary syndrome accounts for more than a million hospital visits a year. — Jason Scott