December 2017

ANOTHER …….BAN ON THE BLOCK

Welcome to the final edition of the Haematex newsletter for 2017. We are very pleased to announce that Hyphen BioMed have added Edoxaban to their range of DOAC controls and calibrators. As with all their other DOAC plasmas, these are ARTG listed for use as IVDs and now available from Haematex.

Reference Product Name Presentation Status
225401 BIOPHEN™ Edoxaban Control Low 2x6x1 mL IVD
225501 BIOPHEN™ Edoxaban Control 2x6x1 mL IVD
226401 BIOPHEN™ Edoxaban Calibrator Low 3x4x1 mL IVD
226501 BIOPHEN™ Edoxaban Calibrator 3x4x1 mL IVD

A GOOD NEWS STORY…

..especially for laboratories that may not have a platelet aggregometer is that Hyphen BioMed/Sysmex scientists and their colleagues in France evaluated an automated platelet aggregation method performed on a routine coagulation analyser Sysmex CS-2000i. This makes aggregation studies more easily accessible, reliable, standardised and a rapid tool to assess platelet function abnormalities. (Frère C, Kobayashi K, Dunois C, Amiral J, Morange PE, Alessi MC. Assessment of platelet function on the routine coagulation analyzer Sysmex CS-2000i. Platelets. 2017 Sep 29:1-3.) Hyphen have the full range of standardized platelet aggregation reagents used in that study. Apher Sci. 2017 ; 56 ; 612-625).

The new « Hemoclot LA-S and LA-R» dRVVT reagents from Hyphen do not give false positive lupus anticoagulant (LAC) results on DOAC plasmas and were mentioned by invited expert Gary Moore in his presentation at the recent THANZ coagulation workshop in Sydney (and also published ; Moore GW et al. Newly developed dilute Russells viper venom reagents for lupus anticoagulant detection with improved specificity. Lupus 2017, Jan.). We're not sure what to make of those weak « LAC » reported by Gary which are only detectable by Screen/Confirm ratios, but not persisting in those old fashioned mixing tests. Are these really LAC and what is their clinical significance?  

LAST THOUGHTS FOR 2017…

Thanks to the THANZ organizers for an excellent and well-run workshop. For most of the other interesting topics covered there please visit : https://www.thanz.org.au/resources/presentations-from-thanz-workshops/thanz-scientific-workshop-2017

DOAC Stop

is getting a lot of interest in European labs. If you have any results (good or bad) from those free samples given away at the workshop we would be interested in adding them to our ongoing regulatory submissions (or else solving any problems). Thanks! Please note that Haematex will be in "low activity" mode between December 18 until January 10, so please send any orders in before about December 12. Team Haematex wishes everyone Merry Christmas and hope you all have a safe and happy New Year. Stay tuned with HTX/HBM/Bioporto for more new reagents and evaluations in 2018