BROOMFIELD - ARCA biopharma Inc. developed an investigational drug that could reduce hospitalization and death among heart failure patients according to a recent study, the company announced Monday.

The Broomfield-based company's new drug, bucindolol, is a beta-blocker that interacts with genetic variations of receptors that help regulate heart functions, according to a press release.

The study included more than 1,000 patients in which researchers found three genetic variations that help predict the effectiveness of bucindolol. The test showed a reduction in hospitalization and death - in its group of patients who would respond the best - compared to the placebo.

To determine whether or not a patient will positively respond to bucindolol, doctors first conduct a genetic test.

"While currently available beta blockers are a mainstay in medicine, it is difficult for physicians to predict which patients will respond to which therapy," said Michael Bristow, ARCA's founder and chief science and medical officer. "The time is coming when we can realize the benefits of personalized medicine in cardiovascular disease."