Coagulation
Following on from its successful validation in blood glucose testing, Universal Biosensors has adapted its electrochemical cell to measure Prothrombin Time (PT/INR), a test used to monitor the effect of the blood thinning anticoagulant warfarin. The test is used to maintain patients on a safe and effective dose. If patients are taking too much warfarin they are at risk of serious bleeding events and if too little they are at risk of thrombosis. The prothrombin time test allows physicians to adjust patient doses for diet and lifestyle changes. It is estimated that nearly 2 million Americans start taking warfarin every year and more than 400 million PT tests are conducted each year worldwide.
The Point of Care coagulation monitoring market is estimated to be worth approximately US$1 billion globally. There are a range of PT tests currently available, however only a few are cleared for patient self testing.
The Point of care coagulation market includes three major segments:
- Patient self test;
- Clinics — including physician office laboratories and doctors offices; and
- Acute care hospital
UBI's PT/INR
Key features:
- Positioned to address unmet need in a growing market
- Significant competitive advantages:
- Cost
- Accuracy
- Ease-of-use
- Demonstrated performance in preliminary clinical study
- Same successful business model as blood glucose
- Discussions underway with potential partners
In a US clinical study, UBI tested its prototype PT/INR system against the market leader, CoaguChek®. The results demonstrated excellent correlation between the two systems. Further testing continues to validate UBI's approach.
