Company Also Reports Rapid Patient Enrollment in the ADHERE Registry
SUNNYVALE, Calif., June 25 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ --
Scios Inc. (Nasdaq: SCIO) today announced that the Joint Commission on
Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) has determined that the
ADHERE(TM) (Acute Decompensated Heart Failure National Registry) Registry
meets the criteria for inclusion in the accreditation process and is included
on the Joint Commission's list of acceptable systems. The Registry will be
beneficial to participating hospitals since it will facilitate the submission
of specific performance measures related to acute heart failure treatment to
JCAHO.
JCAHO is an independent, not-for-profit organization and is the nation's
predominant standards-setting and accrediting body in health care. Over the
past fifty years, JCAHO has developed professionally based benchmark
standards, and evaluated the compliance of health care organizations against
these benchmarks.
Scios also announced that enrollment in the ADHERE registry is exceeding
the original target of 10,000 patients from 200 U.S. hospitals by the end of
2002. In January of this year, just 700 patients had been enrolled in the
ADHERE Registry. Today, there are more than 9,000 patients enrolled at over
100 medical centers.
"The JCAHO action is a strong endorsement of the quality of the ADHERE
Registry and the value of collecting patient data on acute heart failure,"
said Richard B. Brewer, president and chief executive officer of Scios. "The
rapid enrollment to date reflects the heart failure community's enthusiasm
about having, for the first time, a reliable way to track and more fully
understand how their acute heart failure patients are being treated. We
expect the JCAHO accreditation to further encourage and enhance
participation."
ADHERE is a first-of-its-kind national registry that prospectively
collects observational data and is designed to track and study the medical
management of patients treated for acute heart failure. The Registry collects
data on patient demographics, medical history, initial evaluation, resource
utilization, hospital treatment, medications and procedures. The objective of
the ADHERE Registry is to compile a large clinical database on the medical
management of patients treated for acute congestive heart failure in order to
enhance the management of these patients over time.
The ADHERE Registry is sponsored by Scios and overseen by an independent
scientific advisory committee of nationally recognized heart failure experts.
To learn more about it, call 1-866-616-2993, or e-mail
adhereinfo@sciosinc.com, or visit http://www.adhereregistry.com.
About Acute Heart Failure
An estimated 5 million Americans suffer from congestive heart failure,
with 550,000 new cases diagnosed annually. More than 1 million
hospitalizations, with a cost to the health-care system of $15 billion, occur
in the United States each year as a result of acute congestive heart failure.
Another 2 million Americans are hospitalized annually with acute congestive
heart failure as a secondary diagnosis. Congestive heart failure accounts for
the greatest number of hospitalizations of Medicare patients.
During an episode of acute congestive heart failure, the heart's inability
to circulate blood adequately throughout the body worsens to the point where
hospitalization is necessary to stabilize the patient's condition. A sudden
increase in salt in a person's diet, a patient's failure to take prescribed
oral medications or the development of a new heart problem can cause these
acute episodes. Virtually all congestive heart failure patients will
experience at least one acute episode, in which the symptoms become so severe
that only intravenous medications administered in the hospital can improve a
patient's condition.
Scios Inc.
Scios is a biopharmaceutical company that discovered, developed and
markets Natrecor(R), the first new treatment for acutely decompensated
congestive heart failure in more than a decade. Scios has a growing pipeline,
including SCIO-469, one of the first oral p38 kinase inhibitors in clinical
trials. The Company's disease-based technology platform integrates expertise
in protein biology with computational and medicinal chemistry to identify
novel targets and rationally design small molecule compounds for large markets
with unmet medical needs.
Forward-Looking Safe Harbor Disclaimer
This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning
of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934. We generally identify such forward-looking statements
using words like "believe," "intend," "expect," "may," "should," "plan,"
"project," "contemplate," "anticipate" or similar statements. Statements that
are not historical facts are forward-looking statements based on current
assumptions that involve risks and uncertainties. These risks and
uncertainties may include the sales penetration and success of Natrecor, the
success of clinical trials of Natrecor and our pipeline products, including
SCIO-469, as well as other risks detailed from time to time in the reports
filed by Scios with the SEC, including the Company's quarterly reports and
annual report on Form 10-K. Actual results, performance or achievements of
Scios may differ significantly from those described in these forward-looking
statements. Scios disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise
any financial projections or forward-looking statements, whether as a result
of new information, future events or otherwise.
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SOURCE Scios
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Related links:
http://www.sciosinc.com
CONTACT:
David Gryska of Scios Inc., +1-408-616-8303;
or media, Jim Weiss of WeissCom Partners, +1-415-260-1274; or
investors, Fern Lazar of Lazar Partners, +1-212-867-1765, both
for Scios
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