Apr 6 2012
Ridge DiagnosticsTM, Inc., a neurodiagnostic company,
announced today it has entered into an exclusive agreement with AmeritoxSM,
Ltd., a leader in medication monitoring, for the license rights to its
proprietary developmental blood test MDDScore TM, a
multiple biomarker analysis for Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) for
primary care and pain physicians. As part of the agreement, Ameritox has
agreed to make an undisclosed equity investment in Ridge and commit to a
next-stage clinical development program.
Antidepressant drugs are among the most frequently prescribed
medications in the U.S. today, where depression impacts some 19 million
adults each year. A biological test for depression may aid physicians in
the differential diagnosis of MDD, assist in the selection of proper
patient treatment and improve healthcare cost management.
"Ameritox investment in Ridge will likely accelerate the MDDScore test
development and advance access to millions of patients already under the
care of primary-care and pain-management physicians," said Lonna J.
Williams, CEO of Ridge Diagnostics. "Ameritox longstanding investments
in diagnostic science, and now in the Ridge technology, validate the
importance of the MDDScore and demonstrate their commitment to improving
patient well-being."
The MDDScore test developed by Ridge Diagnostics measures ten biomarker
levels associated with factors such as inflammation, development and
maintenance of neurons and interaction between brain structures involved
with stress response and other key biological functions. Measurements
are analyzed to produce an MDDScore which may help physicians determine
whether a patient has major depression.
A recent peer-reviewed study with 70 adults who had been diagnosed with
major depression evaluated in a pilot and replication study using the
MDDScore appears in Molecular Psychiatry (February 2012) and
indicates the test diagnosed major depression with a high degree of
accuracy within the study population. The study is co-authored by
investigators from Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA;
Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN; Cambridge Health Alliance, Boston,
MA, and Elizabeth Medical Center, Brighton, MA.
"Biomarkers are an important emerging scientific tool to better
understanding illness, and may enable health professionals to improve
the accuracy of diagnosis and help match the right treatment to the
right patient," said Ancelmo Lopes, CEO, Ameritox Ltd. "Personalizing
care offers the best use for precious healthcare resources. We are
committed to providing physicians with tools to support their care
decisions. We are excited to launch clinical trials to evaluate the
utility of MDDScore in primary care and pain medicine settings."
A promising visual sign for concussion diagnosis in athletes