BG Medicine enters into development and commercialization agreement with Abbott Laboratories

BG Medicine, Inc. today announced that it has entered into an agreement with Abbott Laboratories (NYSE: ABT) to extend its current development and commercialization collaboration to include the development of a galectin-3 test for Abbott Point of Care’s i-STAT^® System. Galectin-3 is a novel biomarker that may play a role in detecting the development and progression of heart failure.

“Heart failure is one of the most costly medical conditions. Despite important advances in diagnosis, there remain significant unmet needs in assessing patients with heart failure and selecting a course of action both in emergency room and non-acute care settings”

Under the agreement, Abbott will be responsible for the development of the test in accordance with certain plans and milestones, and BG Medicine and Abbott will collaborate in support of regulatory filings and studies to support the clinical utility of galectin-3 in the management of patients with acute decompensated heart failure.

“Heart failure is one of the most costly medical conditions. Despite important advances in diagnosis, there remain significant unmet needs in assessing patients with heart failure and selecting a course of action both in emergency room and non-acute care settings,” said Pieter Muntendam, M.D., President and CEO of BG Medicine. “This collaboration is an important step toward determining the exact role this test can play in assisting physicians in their efforts to improve outcomes and reduce cost of care.”