Healthcare Providers Direct, Inc. Announces First Accurate And Effective Rapid Point-of-Care Screening Test For Microalbuminuria

Main Category: Urology / Nephrology
Also Included In: Diabetes
Article Date: 04 Feb 2008 - 4:00 PDT

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Healthcare Providers Direct, Inc. (OTCBB: HPRD), a company focused on the development and distribution of rapid diagnostic tests directly to physicians' offices, announced the release of ImmunoDip(R), the first rapid screening test to detect microalbuminuria, an early indicator of chronic kidney disease in diabetic patients.

One-third of all diabetics will develop some form of kidney disease. In fact, doctors believe that diabetes is the main cause of end-stage renal disease. According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease, 14.6 million people have been diagnosed with diabetes in the US, and 6.2 million people with diabetes remain undiagnosed. This equates to 7% of the US population.

Microalbuminuria occurs when a malfunctioning kidney leaks small amounts of albumin into the urine. Sometimes early kidney damage can be reversed, making early diagnosis critical.

"ImmunoDip excels as a fast, simple and accurate test for microalbuminuria, a disorder that serves as a warning flag for a number of diseases such as diabetic kidney disease, hypertension, heart disease and the complications of those diseases impacting millions of patients," noted Norman Proulx, Healthcare Providers Direct's Chief Executive Officer.

"The sensitivity of this test allows physicians to reliably detect the lowest concentration of microalbumin in the urine making it a valuable screening tool for patients who otherwise have no symptoms and who are in the earliest stages of the disease," continued Mr. Proulx.

Standard albumin tests require 24 hours to obtain results and lack the sensitivity of ImmunoDip that detects as little as 18 mg/l of albumin in the urine. Microalbuminuria is indicated at 20-30 mg/l. With ImmunoDip, physicians can complete the test in their office with a simple negative or positive indication within three minutes. With an on-the-spot result, the physician can immediately provide the patient with the next treatment steps.

Treatment strategies often simultaneously target hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia (cholesterol and other lipid problems) and hypertension, in addition to lifestyle modification.

The American Diabetes Association recommends a microalbumin urine test for people with Type 2 diabetes: first at diagnosis and then yearly for diabetic nephropathy (kidney disease). The ImmunoDip test is CLIA-waived and approved for insurance reimbursement.

"The medical world has long understood how important it is to know whether patients have microalbuminuria, but science has struggled to find a fast-acting screening test that is affordable, very accurate and sensitive enough to identify patients who are just developing the disease," continued Mr. Proulx. "ImmunoDip gets high marks in both accuracy and sensitivity, closing the gap in identifying this dangerous warning sign for a number of diseases."

Healthcare Providers Direct is a public company, with a unique business model focused on the growing U.S. point-of-care (POC) healthcare market. HPRD developed a multi-dimensional "direct-to-doctor" marketing communication model to deliver "novel" (new) and "legacy" (existing) FDA-approved diagnostic products cost-effectively to physicians' offices, public health facilities, and selective alternative care businesses in the professional POC segment of the U.S. healthcare market. Their website is available for viewing at http://www.healthcareprovidersdirect.com/.

Forward-Looking Statements

Forward-looking statements such as "believe," "expect," "may," "plan," "intend," etc., contained herein are within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements involve risks and uncertainties and are based on the Company's beliefs and assumptions it made using information currently available to it and which reflect current views concerning those future events. Actual results could differ materially. Therefore, undue reliance should not be placed on any forward-looking statements, since they apply only as of today's date, and accordingly, reference should be made to the Company's periodic filings with the SEC.

Healthcare Providers Direct, Inc.