PGXL’s Software Makes Drugs More Effective

LOUISVILLE, Ky.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--PerMIT works—that’s the broad message of the first data to emerge from trials of the revolutionary dosing decision support software. PerMIT is short for Personalized Medicine Interface Tool, the first in a series of interactive longitudinal management tools developed by PGXL Laboratories.

“This study demonstrates that PerMIT is effective”

In a study published in Thrombosis and Haemostasis, patients treated using PerMIT/Warfarin reached stable and therapeutic response to the commonly prescribed anticoagulant warfarin (Coumadin) in a shorter time than those treated conventionally (clinicaltrials.gov, NCT00993200). The study was small – 26 patients – but the results were striking: a substantial reduction in the time to stability within the target therapeutic range, an improvement in the percentage of time within the therapeutic interval, and a decrease in the frequency of dose adjustments necessary to maintain patients in warfarin’s safe and effective range – all as a result of guidance provided by PerMIT software.

“This study demonstrates that PerMIT is effective,” says Dr. Mark Linder, executive vice president of PGXL and co-inventor of PerMIT. “Further studies will help us quantify the benefits.”

PerMIT is based on algorithms that use individual genetic and other patient data to provide treatment guidance in real time. PerMIT/Warfarin, for example, calculates an optimal therapeutic path based on variations in two genes, CYP2C9 and VKORC1, which control the metabolism and action of the drug. PerMIT’s modeling capability gives physicians the power to test specific adjustments without putting the patient at risk, and then to continually adjust treatment based on actual performance compared to the chosen model.

PerMIT/Warfarin is the first of several Companion Informatics™ being developed by PGXL. A Companion Informatic is an application designed to be used in concert with a drug, or to address diagnosis and treatment of a particular medical problem. The continuously updated algorithm is based on the latest medical research, enabling physicians to craft the optimal treatment path for individual patients.

PerMIT was developed at the University of Louisville. ARUP Laboratories, a national clinical and anatomic pathology reference laboratory in Salt Lake City, was a key underwriter of PerMIT and is committed to the use of genetic information to improve the care of its patients. ARUP was the first lab to use PerMIT clinically to estimate the warfarin dose needs for individual patients.

PerMIT/Warfarin is currently being used in another clinical trial at the University of Utah.

About PGXL Laboratories:

PGXL Laboratories was the first lab in the country CLIA-certified specifically to conduct pharmacogenetic tests. It offers pharmacogenetic testing, interpretive services, and assay design and validation. Along with its clinical practice, PGXL performs contract research for developers of pharmaceuticals and medical equipment. It is also a leader in the development of Companion Informatics: software developed to aid in the treatment of specific diseases.

About ARUP Laboratories:

Founded in 1984, ARUP Laboratories is a leading national reference laboratory and a nonprofit corporation of the University of Utah and its Department of Pathology. ARUP offers more than 3,000 tests and test combinations, ranging from routine screening tests to esoteric molecular and genetic assays. ARUP serves clients across the United States, including many of the nation’s top university teaching hospitals and children’s hospitals, as well as multihospital groups, major commercial laboratories, group purchasing organizations, military and other government facilities, and major clinics.

For more information visit pgxlab.com.