HAYWARD, Calif. and MEXICO CITY, June 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Cholestech Corporation and Nutritional Science and Technology (NST), Cholestech's Mexican partner, today announced a contract with the Mexican Ministry of Communication and Transportation to supply the Cholestech LDX(R) System, a leading cholesterol monitoring tool, for the Direccion General de Proteccion y Medicina Preventiva en el Transporte (DGPMPT). As part of the agreement, the DGPMPT will initially acquire 42 LDX Systems and 25,000 lipid test cassettes which will be used in the national health and wellness initiative targeting commercial vehicle operators.
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The Direccion General de Proteccion y Medicina Preventiva regulates the safe movement of materials and people throughout Mexico, including the licensing of operators of taxis, buses, airplanes, railroad, ships and tractor trailers. Every year, more than 100,000 transportation workers must complete physical examinations to ensure that their health complies with the Ministry's standards for job qualification. Based on the results of a six-month pilot, the Ministry determined that the adoption of the Cholestech LDX(R) System was the most appropriate and cost effective method of providing cardiovascular screening in more than 40 health centers throughout Mexico.
Using a small drop of blood, the Cholestech LDX(R) System precisely measures cholesterol, glucose, liver enzymes, ALT and AST, and now, high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) at point-of-care. The system enhances the ability of physicians to quickly identify patients most at risk for heart disease and to offer treatment and/or counseling in the same office visit. Generating comprehensive, lab-accurate results in minutes, the LDX System enables physicians to pinpoint and deliver appropriate treatment sooner and to help patients maintain a proper therapeutic mix without delay.
According to the World Health Organization, cholesterol remains one of the highest risk factors for cardiac disease worldwide and is a major contributor to the prevalence of cardiac disease as a leading cause of death in Mexico. Nearly one third of all Mexican adults have total cholesterol levels over 200 mg/dL, and half have levels of high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol or "good" cholesterol that are too low.
"We commend Mexico's Ministry of Preventative Medicine for Transportation for its leadership and commitment to improving the health and wellness of its workers. We are proud that the Cholestech LDX System was chosen for this program after several months of testing -- validating our ability to offer the highest quality point-of-care diagnostic tools that can generate lab-accurate results in minutes," said Warren E. Pinckert, president and CEO of Cholestech.
"Based on the success of this program, we look forward to working with the Mexican government to expand this program to other governmental agencies to help improve cardiovascular health throughout Mexico," added Biol. Patricia Solorzano, NST vice president of sales and marketing, Cholestech's partner in Mexico.
The Cholestech LDX System carries the CE Mark for marketing of in-vitro diagnostic devices in the European Union and has been certified by the United States Cholesterol Reference Method Laboratory Network (CRMLN). The CRMLN certification validates that the LDX System meets the standards for accuracy and reproducibility developed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for the measurement of total cholesterol and HDL cholesterol.
About Cholestech
Cholestech is committed to enabling people to lead longer, healthier and more active lives. Cholestech provides easy to use, accessible diagnostic tools and information to health care practitioners in over 35 countries around the world. Cholestech offers efficient and economic diagnostic testing for cholesterol and related lipids, blood glucose and glycemic control, high sensitivity C-reactive protein and liver enzymes at the point of care. Health care providers can use the CLIA-waived Cholestech LDX(R) and GDX(TM) Systems and the hs-CRP test, which is cleared by the FDA for use in moderate complexity labs, to initiate and monitor the progress of patient therapy. By providing effective disease management solutions, Cholestech's goal is to be a leading provider of diagnostic tools and information for immediate risk assessment and therapeutic monitoring of heart disease and diabetes.
Cholestech LDX(R) is a registered trademark and Cholestech GDX(TM) is a trademark of Cholestech Corporation. All other trademarks mentioned in this document are the property of their respective owners. For more information about Cholestech and its products visit us on the web at http://www.cholestech.com/ .
Cholestech Press Contact:
Julie Gross Gelfand
HLD/Blankman Public Relations
(516) 536-6811 or (212) 896-3926
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