Abbott and BG Medicine announce a development and commercialization agreement for galectin-3 biomarker

Abbott (NYSE: ABT) and BG Medicine, Inc. today announced a development and commercialization agreement for galectin-3, a novel biomarker that may play a role in detecting the development and progression of heart failure. The assay will be developed for Abbott's ARCHITECT immunochemistry instrument platform, specifically the company's i1000SR and i2000SR instruments. The agreement grants Abbott a license to BG Medicine's intellectual property related to galectin-3. Financial terms were not disclosed.

"Heart failure is one of the most costly medical conditions in the world, with 37 percent of U.S. Medicare dollars alone spent on heart conditions each year," said Michael Warmuth, senior vice president, diagnostics products, Abbott. "Novel markers like galectin-3 have the potential to make important contributions to improving patient and economic outcomes as we work to better understand this deadly and costly disease."

Galectin-3 is a protein that plays an integral role in the biological functions related to the initiation and progression of cardiac fibrosis and scarring which is a leading cause of heart failure (HF). Several studies have shown that galectin-3 may provide valuable insight about heart failure and its underlying disease processes.

"This development and commercialization partnership with Abbott is an exciting opportunity to explore a promising diagnostic test with broad applicability in cardiovascular disease on a leading laboratory platform," said Pieter Muntendam, MD, president and CEO of BG Medicine. "BG Medicine's strong life science discovery research program combined with Abbott's scientific and development leadership will enable us to bring important new tests to patients and laboratories."