Agepha Pharma & Caristo Diagnostics Collaborate to Fight Coronary Inflammation

The partnership seeks to improve awareness and clinical education about the central role of inflammation in coronary artery disease.

Multinational pharmaceutical company, Agepha Pharma, has joined forces with Caristo Diagnostics, a cardiac disease diagnostics company, to combat coronary inflammation.

The partnership seeks to improve awareness and clinical education about the central role of inflammation in coronary artery disease.

As per the deal, the companies will jointly support a series of educational forums among clinicians beginning later this year. Further, they aim to highlight the new scientific breakthroughs that are radically transforming the traditional approach to heart disease prevention and prediction.

Sharing thoughts on the same, Frank Cheng, CEO, Caristo Diagnostics, said, “Caristo shares Agepha Pharma’s passion for fighting coronary inflammation, which is one of the primary drivers of heart attack risks. We look forward to collaborating with Agepha Pharma in order to combat heart disease as the number one cause of death globally.”

Additionally, the companies will selectively support clinical research involving the CaRi-Heart technology for coronary inflammation diagnostics and LODOCO 0.5 mg tablets for therapeutic intervention.

How the Partnership Seeks to Combat Coronary Inflammation

Over eight million Americans annually seek emergency care for chest pain. Routine use of Coronary Computed Tomography Angiography (CCTA) helps diagnose Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) resulting from narrowed or blocked coronary arteries.

In 75% of cases, during a CCTA scan, doctors can’t see any major blockages. However, despite any blockages, many people still succumb to heart attacks within a few years. This is often due to inflammation in the heart, which can now be spotted in regular CCTA scans using the CaRi-Heart technology.

Caristo’s CaRi-Heart technology applies advanced AI algorithms to routine cardiac CT scans to visualise and quantify coronary inflammation.

An American Heart Association’s Late Breaking Science Sessions revealed that the CaRi-Heart technology can predict fatal and non-fatal cardiac events independently from routine clinical risk scores and standard CTA interpretation.

It can further significantly impact treatment for CAD by transforming risk stratification and management of patients undergoing routine CCTA.

Steve Andrzejewski, head, US Operations, Agepha Pharma, said, “Together with Caristo we are proud to lead this revolution in preventative cardiology. In the future, patients with coronary inflammation can be identified by the CaRi-Heart technology and treated by our FDA-approved LODOCO 0.5 mg tablets.”

Agepha’s LODOCO, on the other hand, inhibits microtubule assembly and has multiple anti-inflammatory mechanisms.

In June, the FDA approved Agepha’s LODOCO, the first anti-inflammatory cardiovascular treatment, which reduces the risk of heart attacks, strokes, revascularisation, and cardiovascular death in patients with atherosclerotic disease or multiple risk factors.

Published in journals like NEJM and The Lancet, LODOCO, inhibiting microtubule assembly has shown a 31% additional reduction in cardiac event risk compared to a placebo in ASCVD patients.

Cardiac Innovations in Full Swing

Days back, India Medtronic collaborated with Cardiac Design Labs (CDL) to introduce and expand access to CDL's novel diagnostic technology, Padma Rhythms. The Padma Rhythms ELR device, a combination of an external patch with advanced Holter capabilities, ensures accurate and insightful data for the monitoring period. It is powered by a first-of-its-kind connected platform for managing tests, data, algorithms, analysis, review, and reporting.

While in another development, Blackford and Nurea collaborated to launch Nurea’s advanced PRAEVAorta 2 solution to healthcare professionals through the Blackford Platform.

Under this partnership, Nurea's advanced AI technology aims to integrate with Blackford's renowned enterprise AI platform. Blackford is recognised for its extensive portfolio of over 100 medical AI solutions and would provide healthcare professionals access to enhanced diagnostic capabilities, driving clinical efficiency and improving patient outcomes.

Founded in 1947 in Austria, Agepha Pharma is a multinational pharmaceutical company based in Senec, Bratislava, Slovakia. It aims to supply safe and affordable drugs through continuous research and development.

Caristo Diagnostics, founded in 2018 by Charalambos Antoniades, Cheerag Shirodaria, Keith Channon, and Stefan Neubauer, is a biotech company based in the UK. The company seeks to aid the prediction and diagnosis of heart attack, stroke, and diabetes through imaging-based and AI-assisted platforms.