Dade Behring announced today that The Cleveland Clinic has granted the company certain semi-exclusive diagnostic rights for the commercialization of automated diagnostic tests using myeloperoxidase (MPO). MPO has been reported to be useful for identifying inflammation in the walls of coronary arteries, which in turn may indicate a risk for heart disease or heart attack.

"This agreement with The Cleveland Clinic complements our strong leadership position in cardiac marker testing, which also includes NT-proBNP, high-sensitivity CRP and Troponin I, among others," said Jim Reid-Anderson, Chairman, President and CEO, Dade Behring. "It is a privilege to work with this prestigious organization, and to be one of only three companies that will be selected to work with The Cleveland Clinic in commercializing MPO. Development of an MPO diagnostic test is another step in our commitment to patients that we will lead the way in the fight against heart disease."

According to research(1) conducted at The Cleveland Clinic by Stanley Hazen, M.D., Ph.D., head of the Section of Preventive Cardiology, MPO testing may be particularly beneficial in chest pain patients who exhibit low initial troponin(a) levels, typically an indication that no heart muscle cells have died. In this situation, the presence of an elevated MPO level has been linked to risk for subsequent cardiac events. Thus, MPO has the potential to help doctors identify patients at risk of subsequent heart attack, which could enable them to be referred to treatment prior to the occurrence of significant heart damage.

"We looked at initial MPO levels in more than 600 patients immediately upon presentation to the emergency room with the complaint of chest pain," Dr. Hazen said. "By using MPO testing in addition to current laboratory-based risk assessments, we increased our ability to identify subjects who experienced heart problems over the next 30 days to six months from 54 percent to 85 percent of the time. An even larger study performed in Europe(2) has now confirmed these results. This is potentially life-altering information for patients."

"The potential of a simple blood test to help identify patients at particular risk of heart damage is very exciting," said Eric J. Topol, M.D., chairman of The Cleveland Clinic's Department of Cardiovascular Medicine. "We need to build on the great success of the troponin test in changing medicine, and the MPO test may be a way to do that."

About The Cleveland Clinic

The Cleveland Clinic Foundation, located in Cleveland, Ohio, is a not-for-profit multispecialty academic medical center that integrates clinical and hospital care with research and education. Approximately 1,200 full-time salaried physicians at The Cleveland Clinic and The Cleveland Clinic Florida represent more than 100 medical specialties and subspecialties. In 2003, patients came for treatment from every state and nearly 90 countries. The Cleveland Clinic website address is www.clevelandclinic.org.

About Dade Behring

With 2003 revenues of more than $1.4 billion, Dade Behring is the world's largest company dedicated solely to clinical diagnostics. It offers a wide range of products, systems and services designed to meet the day-to-day needs of labs, delivering innovative solutions to customers and enhancing the quality of life for patients. Additional company information is available on the internet at www.dadebehring.com.

(a) Troponin I is a marker for cardiac disease.

(1) Published Brennan ML, Penn MS, Van Lente F, Nambi V, Shishehbor MH, Aviles RJ, Goormastic M, Pepoy ML, McErlean ES, Topol EJ, Nissen SE, Hazen SL.Prognostic value of myeloperoxidase in patients with chest pain. N Engl J Med. 2003 Oct 23;349(17):1595-604

(2) Published Baldus S, Heeschen C, Meinertz T, Zeiher AM, Eiserich JP, Munzel T, Simoons ML, Hamm CW; CAPTURE Investigators. Myeloperoxidase serum levels predict risk in patients with acute coronary syndromes. Circulation. 2003 Sep 23;108(12):e9034-5.