Baxter's Screening And Detection Program Helps Build Awareness and Promote Early Diagnosis of Genetic Disorder

 

DEERFIELD, Ill., April 4, 2006 – Baxter Healthcare Corporation announced today that the company has helped screen more than 10,000 people for alpha 1 -antitrypsin (AAT) deficiency, making it an industry leader in AAT deficiency awareness and early diagnosis. Through the company's screening and prevalence study and provision of complimentary test kits to physicians for patient testing, more than 100 AAT deficient individuals, or approximately 1 percent of those screened, have been identified since the program's inception in 2004.

 

AAT deficiency is a hereditary condition that is characterized by a low level of AAT protein in the blood. This protein, which is made in the liver, helps protect lung tissue from damaging enzymes released by white blood cells. The American Lung Association estimates that there are approximately 100,000 people in the United States who have inherited AAT deficiency; up to 95 percent of them are undiagnosed. If untreated, AAT deficiency can result in early onset emphysema and premature death.

 

“At the Alpha-1 Advocacy Alliance, we are proud to see Baxter's support of expansive screening efforts, which not only help identify patients at risk early in the disease development process, but also help clinicians understand more about this often misdiagnosed hereditary disease,” said Bill Poplett, chairman of the board for the Alpha-1 Advocacy Alliance, an educational and support network for Alpha-1 patients and their families . “With early detection, Alpha-1 patients can make lifestyle changes and avoid triggers which may cause damage at an escalating pace.”

 

In addition to promoting early diagnosis of AAT deficient patients, this program has also helped improve clinician awareness of the importance of family testing for this disorder.

 

“One particular Alpha was older than the patients I typically suspect for AAT deficiency,” said Melissa Bruce Rhodes, M.D., Respiratory Consultants of Georgia. “Fortunately, the availability of the Baxter-sponsored AlphaTest ® kit and the speed and simplicity of this kit have enabled me to check more of my COPD patients like this one. The Baxter-sponsored kit was invaluable because it also allowed me to do testing on her family, and that's where I discovered that her son also had AATD.”

 

The American Thoracic Society (ATS) and European Respiratory Society (ERS) recommend that all patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or asthma characterized by incompletely reversible airflow obstruction should be tested for AAT deficiency.

 

Baxter's screening and detection program, which the company began in 2004, includes a screening and prevalence study implementing nearly 130 screening days in cooperation with pulmonary practices across the country. Between July of 2004 and December of 2005, 113 pulmonologists in 26 states participated in one-day screening programs where more than 3,500 patients with COPD were asked to complete a questionnaire regarding demographics and family and medical history. Individual blood samples were then sent to a national medical laboratory and a reference laboratory for immunoassay and phenotype testing. In addition to these screening days, Baxter has distributed more than 50,000 complimentary test kits to pulmonologists. Between these two programs, the company has helped identify more than 100 individuals suffering from AAT deficiency.

 

In addition to AAT deficient patients, Baxter has also helped identify more than 1,300 carriers of AAT deficiency, or 13 percent of those tested, through this program. Carriers of AAT deficiency have a lower-than-normal serum level of AAT and phenotyping shows that they carry one altered gene. Most individuals who are carriers of the disease do not experience pulmonary symptoms, but ATS/ERS standards suggest that these individuals may be more susceptible to the damaging effects of smoking and occupational/environmental pollutants than other individuals with normal levels of AAT. This knowledge has helped physicians advise these individuals to stop smoking and implement other good health practices, including adhering to a good nutrition and exercise program and undergoing regular health exams. It also provides an opportunity for discussion of the genetics of this deficiency and to encourage patients to share this information with family members.

 

“Testing for AAT deficiency requires a simple blood test, yet clinician awareness of this disease is still low,” said Regina Ofiara, director of marketing for Baxter's BioScience business in North America. “Baxter will continue to invest in screening and detection programs for the Alpha1 community in an effort to help patients get diagnosed and take steps to treat this condition, including the implementation of augmentation therapy.”

 

For more information on AAT deficiency and Baxter's efforts around screening and detection of this disorder, please visit www.baxter.com/conditions or call 1-866-272-5278. Information about this disorder is also available on the Alpha-1 Advocacy Alliance website at www.alpha1advocacy.org or by calling 1-866-FOR-A1AA.

 

About Baxter

 

Baxter Healthcare Corporation is the principal U.S. operating subsidiary of Baxter International Inc. (NYSE: BAX). Baxter International Inc., through its subsidiaries, assists healthcare professionals and their patients with treatment of complex medical conditions, including cancer, hemophilia, immune disorders, kidney disease and trauma. The company applies its expertise in medical devices, pharmaceuticals and biotechnology to make a meaningful difference in patients' lives.  For more information about Baxter, please visit www.baxter.com.