WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., MARCH 3, 2005 – The March of Dimes is pleased to announce that Adeza Biomedical has signed on as a corporate supporter of the March of Dimes multi-million dollar national campaign to decrease the growing rate of premature birth and raise public awareness regarding the seriousness and future consequences of this national crisis. Almost half a million infants are born prematurely in the U.S. annually. In nearly half of these births, the causes are unknown.
"We are gratified to have Adeza join us in support of our Prematurity Awareness Campaign,'' said Dr. Jennifer L. Howse, March of Dimes president. "Adeza's commitment to improving high-risk pregnancy outcomes for women and their families - while decreasing associated costs - gives them a deep understanding of both the financial and emotional impact of prematurity."
As a campaign supporter, Adeza will provide support to many local March of Dimes Chapters to assist them in their statewide prematurity campaign efforts. Adeza and the March of Dimes will be co-branding two brochures with working titles "Preventing Preterm Birth" and "The Cost of Prematurity for Businesses." The brochures are slated to be distributed nationwide this year. According to the March of Dimes, the total national acute hospital care bill for premature babies is estimated at $15.5 billion per year.
In 2003, the March of Dimes launched a multi-million dollar, multi-year campaign to increase the level of awareness of prematurity from 35 percent to 60 percent, and to decrease the rate of preterm birth by 15 percent.
“We are proud to work with the March of Dimes on this vital public health issue," said Emory Anderson, President & CEO of Adeza. “Bringing additional public awareness to the burden prematurity places on families and the healthcare system, both now and as the child develops, may help Americans find additional answers to this heartbreaking problem. Early detection, coupled with risk assessments, education and prescribed interventions, can produce the outcomes the March of Dimes and Adeza are striving to achieve."
Adeza Biomedical develops and sells The Fetal Fibronectin test. Fetal Fibronectin is a protein expressed in the fetal membranes and placenta at the interface between the mother and the baby. Fetal fibronectin plays a role in the adhesion of the fetal membranes to the wall of the uterus. To help predict preterm birth, many doctors request that women with symptoms of preterm labor be screened for the presence of Fetal Fibronectin. In symptomatic women during weeks 22 through 34 of gestation, a positive Fetal Fibronectin Test suggests an increased risk of preterm birth. A negative Fetal Fibronectin Test is a reliable predictor that the pregnancy will continue for at least another two weeks.
About the March of DimesThe March of Dimes is a national voluntary health agency whose mission is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects and infant mortality. Founded in 1938, the March of Dimes funds programs of research, community services, education, and advocacy to save babies and in 2003 launched a multi-year campaign to address the increasing rate of premature birth. For more information, visit the March of Dimes Web site at
marchofdimes.com or its Spanish Web site at
nacersano.org.
About AdezaAdeza designs, manufactures and markets innovative products for women's health. Adeza's initial focus is on reproductive healthcare, using its proprietary technologies to predict preterm birth and assess infertility. Adeza's principal product is a patented diagnostic test, the Fetal Fibronectin Test, which utilizes a single-use, disposable cassette and is analyzed on Adeza's patented TLiIQ® System. This product is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for broad use in assessing the risk of preterm birth. Adeza also markets and sells the E-tegrity® Test, an infertility-related test to assess receptivity of the uterus to embryo implantation in women with unexplained infertility. The Adeza website is
http://www.adeza.com/.
