For Immediate Release

May 23, 2006 | WASHINGTON, D.C.

Foundation Announces Collaboration on Clinical Trial Targeting Cardiovascular Risks 

Patient Enrollment Efforts Target At-Risk African Americans

The National Minority Health Month Foundation (The Foundation) and deCODE Genetics, Inc. announced today a collaborative effort to support patient enrollment in the Leukotrienes in African American Patients with Coronary Artery Disease trial (LTCAD study). This multi-center trial is unique by focusing on a subgroup of patients with prior unstable angina or acute MI who have the highest identifiable risk of heart attack. Recent research suggest that some patients of a combined African and European lineage carry a variant of the gene encoding leukotriene A4 hydrolase (LTA4 hydrolase) that puts them at a three-fold greater risk for a heart attack. DG-031, licensed by deCODE Genetics, Inc. is designed to block the negative effects of the variant gene. The LTCAD study will examine the long-term safety and efficacy of DG-031. The trial is being conducted under a Special Protocol Assessment (SPA) with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

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About The Forum

The National Minority Quality Forum (NMQF) is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit, non-partisan, independent research and education organization. The vision of NMQF is a health services research, delivery and financing system that provides quality and effective health services to the biodiverse American general population of the 21st century. NMQF helps assure that national and local quality improvement initiatives are informed by scientific evidence, and place a priority on the quality of care and patient outcomes in all populations.