02 Sep Aegis Sciences Corporation and QURE Announce Groundbreaking Results from InterACT Rx™
Physicians using InterACT Rx were 3x more likely to recognize and treat patients impacted by DDIs resulting in improved patient outcomes.
SAN FRANCISCO and NASHVILLE, Tenn., Sept. 15, 2021 – The results of the prospective randomized DECART-2 study were released on July 15, 2021 in the journal, Diagnostics.
The research, conducted among 331 patients of primary care physicians (PCP), showed that InterACT Rx™, Aegis Sciences’ drug-drug interaction (DDI) test, increased the detection, diagnosis, and treatment of serious medication interactions, which in turn, lead to demonstrably improved patient outcomes. DECART 2 underscores the value of InterACT Rx™ as a critical tool for physicians to manage patients with polypharmacy and avoid adverse drug events.
The DECART studies (DDI Effectiveness and Clinical Awareness Randomized Controlled Trial), referred to as DECART-1 and DECART-2, are part of Aegis Sciences’ ongoing commitment to study the clinical utility of their breakthrough diagnostic product.
DECART-1 (published in 2018) using simulated patients and a nationally representative cross-section of PCPs revealed that DDIs were severely under-diagnosed despite the fact that 99% of reporting participants performed medication reconciliation to check for potential DDIs. The study found that the introduction of InterACT Rx testing increased the DDI diagnosis rate from 15.3% to 41.6% (p < 0.001).
For DECART-2, QURE researchers re-recruited the PCPs to confirm these clinically important findings among real-world patients. The study compared 169 control patients receiving usual care with 162 intervention patients who were provided results from the InterACT Rx test. Compared to controls, the physicians in the intervention group were three times more likely to identify and/or treat patients for DDIs and were more likely to discontinue or adjust the interacting agent. Likewise, patients that received the InterAct Rx test and treatment experienced significantly improved rates of resolution of their adverse symptoms (p<0.05) compared to controls.
“The DECART-2 results were nearly identical to the findings in the simulated patient study and now provide two prospective studies confirming the utility of InterACT Rx,” said Dr. John Peabody, President of QURE Healthcare, Professor Medicine at UCSF, and the Principal Investigator of the DECART-2 study. “The intervention group in DECART-2 made the diagnosis of a DDI 56.3% of the time versus only 21.6% of the time without testing (p < 0.001), went on to stop or adjust the interacting medications 58.3% versus 26.6% of the time, while patients reported that their symptoms subsided with better care (p < 0.05).”
“Bringing a new diagnostic test to market, particularly for an under-recognized clinical problem, requires robust data on both clinical validity and clinical utility,” said Elaine Jeter, MD, Aegis Sciences Corporation’s Medical Director. “Results from these two studies clearly show that the use of the InterACT Rx test improves clinical practice, helps doctors monitor their patients’ medications and avoids dangerous consequences of adverse drug events for patients.”
About DDIs
Drug–drug interactions (DDIs) are under-diagnosed, but account for more than 30% of all adverse drug events (ADEs), which cost the collective healthcare system an estimated USD 30.1 billion annually. The risk for a DDI and ADE increases with age and the number of substances ingested (whether prescribed, over-the-counter, supplements, illicit). In one study, for example, prevalence of potential DDIs among older patients with polypharmacy was 80%. The number of patients taking five or more prescription drugs has increased more than 200% in the last twenty years. Despite the ostensible availability and use of monitoring for DDIs through reconciliation, electronic health records, stewardships, etc., DDI detection is low. This highlights the value that Aegis’ InterACT Rx brings in addressing the urgent need for a DDI test with demonstrable clinical utility. The publication of DECART-2 shows that DDI testing in real-world patients significantly improve the identification of potentially harmful drug interactions, primary care patient management of drug interactions, and important patient outcomes. The study also shows that the use of CPV simulated patients to determine clinical utility is confirmed by real-world data. This highlights the great value of a test that has proven clinical utility.
About Aegis Sciences Corporation
Founded in 1990, Aegis Sciences Corporation is a forensic toxicology and healthcare laboratory sciences company based in Nashville, Tenn. that provides science-driven drug testing and consulting services for clients such as healthcare providers, pharmaceutical companies, professional and amateur sports organizations, leading college and university athletic programs, Fortune 500 corporations, and government agencies throughout the United States. For more information, please visit https://www.aegislabs.com/.
About QURE Healthcare, Inc.
QURE Healthcare is a physician engagement company committed to improving the quality of clinical care. QURE uses its proprietary technology, CPV® (Clinical Performance and Value) vignettes, to evaluate clinical practice and cost-effectiveness of healthcare services at the level of physicians or health care providers. CPV® vignettes are used in health systems in the US and over 30 countries worldwide. Core services include CPV® studies, health economic analyses, and physician-level data collection. The ease, validity and affordability of CPV® vignettes attract a wide array of clients: payers, hospital systems, life sciences and medical technology companies, medical licensing and education institutions as well as international health development organizations. To learn more, please visit www.qurehealthcare.com.