Results Presented at European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress 2011

WALTHAM, Mass., Aug. 30, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BG Medicine, Inc. (Nasdaq:BGMD), a company focused on the development and commercialization of novel, biomarker-based diagnostics, announced today that results from subjects in the Prevention of Renal and Vascular End-stage Disease (PREVEND) study were presented at the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress 2011, in Paris, France. The PREVEND study examined the association between levels of galectin-3 in blood and risk factors for cardiovascular disease and death in nearly 8,000 patients in the general population. Results demonstrated that galectin-3 levels are associated with risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Higher galectin-3 levels were associated with increased mortality rates in the study's general patient population, underscoring the potential involvement of galectin-3 in cardiovascular disease. The results were featured in a presentation at ESC, "Galectin-3, Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Outcome in the General Population," presented by Rudolf de Boer, MD, PhD, Associate Professor in Cardiology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, The Netherlands.   

"This study of nearly 8,000 patients over approximately 10 years marks the first large cohort evaluated to assess the effect of plasma levels of galectin-3 in the general population," commented Dr. de Boer. "Based on these data, it appears that circumstances that may injure the cardiovascular system, such as diabetes, smoking, prior heart attack, hypertension, obesity and high lipid levels, may also give rise to elevated levels of galectin-3. Because galectin-3 appears to be related to development of fibrosis rather than to lipids and atherosclerosis, the extent of its presence and its absolute level may serve as a complementary biomarker in cardiovascular risk models."

"More than 1,500 scientific articles related to galectin-3 have been published, covering a range of studies, including in vitro experiments, animal studies and clinical studies in a variety of conditions, and these data from the large PREVEND study represent the first epidemiological study of galectin-3 in the general population," said Pieter Muntendam, MD, President and CEO of BG Medicine. "The findings reported were consistent with our expectations based on galectin-3 biology. It has been suggested that galectin-3-mediated organ damage can be mitigated by natural and pharmaceutical inhibitors. We believe the prevalence and importance of galectin-3-related mortality, as suggested by this PREVEND analysis, should cause the investigation of galectin-3 inhibitors to reduce mortality associated with high galectin-3 levels to become a research priority."

The full presentation, "Galectin-3, Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Outcome in the General Population," is available: click here.

In conjunction with results presented at ESC, BG Medicine will host an interactive webcast, "Role of Galectin-3 in Therapeutic and Cardiovascular Outcomes — Results from Leading Studies Presented at European Society of Cardiology Annual Meeting," on August 30, 2011 at 12:00 p.m. EDT (18:00 CEST). Faculty will feature Bertram Pitt, MD, FACC, Professor of Medicine Emeritus, University of Michigan School of Medicine, Division of Cardiology; Lars Gullestad, MD, PhD, Professor of Cardiology, Rikshospitalet University Hospital, Department of Cardiology; and Rudolf de Boer, MD, PhD, Associate Professor in Cardiology, University Medical Center Groningen. Pieter Muntendam, MD, President and CEO of BG Medicine will moderate the session. The program is sponsored by Abbott, Alere, Inc., bioMérieux and Siemens. Further information is available at: http://www.cardiocarelive.com/Galectin-3.

About Galectin-3 and Heart Disease

Galectin-3 is a unique carbohydrate-binding lectin, or protein, that binds to carbohydrates called beta-galactosides. It has been implicated in a variety of biological processes important in cardiac disease, and is believed to be a primary mediator of progressive cardiac fibrosis (abnormal thickening and stiffening of the heart muscle) and adverse remodeling (changes in the structure of the heart).

About BG Medicine, Inc.

BG Medicine, Inc. (Nasdaq:BGMD) is a life sciences company focused on the discovery, development, and commercialization of novel, biomarker-based diagnostics to improve patient outcomes and contain healthcare costs.  The Company recently launched the BGM Galectin-3TM test for use in patients with heart failure, the first novel blood test for cardiac disease cleared by the U.S. F.D.A. in five years.  BG Medicine also has products in development to aid in the diagnosis and management of acute atherothrombosis and lipid disorders. For additional information about BG Medicine, heart failure and galectin-3 testing, please visit www.bg-medicine.com and www.galectin-3.com.

The BG Medicine Inc. logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=10352

Special Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements

Certain statements made in this news release contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, that are intended to be covered by the "safe harbor" created by those sections. Forward-looking statements, which are based on certain assumptions and describe our future plans, strategies and expectations, can generally be identified by the use of forward-looking terms such as "believe," "expect," "may," "will," "should," "could," "seek," "intend," "plan," "estimate," "anticipate" or other comparable terms.  Forward-looking statements in this news release address our expectations concerning the role that galectin-3 plays in heart failure, cardiovascular disease and mortality, our beliefs regarding the importance of research to identify galectin-3 inhibitors, our beliefs regarding the importance of the galectin-3 data presented at ESC, and our expectations regarding the impact of the galectin-3 data on the sales and marketing of our galectin-3 diagnostic tests.  Forward-looking statements are based on management's current expectations and involve inherent risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements, as a result of various factors including those risks and uncertainties described in the Risk Factors and in Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations sections of our recent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.  We urge you to consider those risks and uncertainties in evaluating our forward-looking statements.  We caution readers not to place undue reliance upon any such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made.  Except as otherwise required by the federal securities laws, we disclaim any obligation or undertaking to publicly release any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statement contained herein (or elsewhere) to reflect any change in our expectations with regard thereto or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based.

CONTACT:

 Michael W. Rogers

 EVP & Chief Financial Officer

 (781) 890-1199