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Galectin-3 Included as Biomarker for Heart Failure in ACCF/AHA 2013 Guidelines

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BG Medicine said this week that the 2013 American College of Cardiology Foundation and the American Heart Association Guideline for the Management of Heart Failure has for the first time recognized the role of galectin-3 testing.

This recognition could help drive clinical adoption of the company's BGM-Galectin-3 heart failure diagnostic.

In the guidelines, Galectin-3 testing has been assigned a Level of Evidence of "A", multiple populations evaluated, and a Class of Recommendation corresponding to "May Be Considered" for the purpose of additive risk stratification of acute heart failure patients; and a Level of Evidence of "B", limited populations evaluated, and a Class of Recommendation of "May Be Considered" for risk stratification of ambulatory heart failure patients.

"We believe that the inclusion of galectin-3 in the updated ACCF/AHA Guideline is an important recognition of the potential significance of galectin-3 in the evaluation and management of patients with heart failure," BG Medicine CEO Paul Sohmer said in a statement.

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