Thanks in part to an extensive genealogy database, on Wednesday Iceland-based drug developer deCode Genetics Inc. said it has begun a late-stage trial of its DG031 candidate to prevent heart attacks.
The company, which uses gene samples and genealogy records to design drugs, said the Phase III trial will test 3,400 patients who have recently suffered a heart attack. Specifically, the study will focus on African American heart patients who carry a variant of one of the genes deCode has linked to risk of heart attack.
The trial will evaluate a 500 milligram dose of DG031 twice daily, with the goal of an overall reduction in heart attack and stroke.
Decode has developed an extensive database of almost every person who ever lived in the island nation of Iceland in the past 1,100 years. You can read more about this database in my earlier article at http://www.eogn.com/archives/news0003.htm.
