OREANDA-NEWS. Roche announced today that it has launched the CoaguChek® INRange system in countries accepting the CE Mark. The CoaguChek INRange system is the first Bluetooth enabled PT/INR home health device that helps patients and their healthcare providers (HCPs) have greater control over their coagulation status and the ability to monitor Vitamin K Antagonist (VKA) therapy. Patient self-testing with CoaguChek INRange sets a new standard of care by enabling HCPs to monitor patient PT/INR data, while reducing visits to the lab.

Frequent self-testing offers both clinical and patient benefit as it has been proven that patients that adhere to their monitoring therapy spend more time in their therapeutic range, which results in lower incidence of stroke1 or bleeding.2 It has been demonstrated that 50–60% of patients can be expected to remain in their target range if monitoring of INR occurs monthly, 77–85% if monitored weekly and up to 92% if monitored every three days.3 Patients who spend a high proportion of time (> 70%) in the therapeutic range achieve better clinical outcomes.4,5

Evidence suggests that patients who have a strong link with their healthcare professional adhere better to their anticoagulant therapy plan.3 The CoaguChek INRange system helps enhance the relationship between patients and their healthcare providers. Patients build a deeper understanding of their PT/INR results through frequent self-testing and physicians are more confident that they can optimise treatment decisions effectively as they have access to patient data in near real-time.

“As healthcare systems face continued pressure to deliver improved access to care at a lower cost, increased connectivity between HCPs and patients becomes even more important,” said Roland Diggelmann, COO, Roche Diagnostics. “This innovative technology continues the CoaguChek legacy of setting the standard in coagulation monitoring by providing high quality, convenient care, while optimising outcomes for patients. This is another proof point towards our aim to position patient self-testing as the standard of care to monitor VKA therapy.”

Usual care or management of patients on VKA therapy includes frequent visits to the hospital or general practitioner for PT/INR testing with a venipuncture and waiting up to 2-3 days for the lab results. The CoaguChek INRange system engages patients in their care with a simple fingerstick and 60-second test, giving patients the independence to continue their normal daily activities and quality of life while maintaining connections with their HCPs.

"In a clinical environment, we need to establish a model of care that empowers patients, helping them to understand their health condition and allowing them to take responsibility of their own health care needs,” stated Juan Carlos Souto, renowned Physician at the Hospital de Sant Pau in Barcelona, Spain and author of over 400 scientific articles and communications. “The new technology will enable us to access the test results in the clinic’s database, to keep track of the individual patient’s status and to measure the quality of care provided by our clinic."