Novartis’ heart failure drug reduces death
Hannah Blake
pharmaphorum
Novartis has announced that its investigational medicine, RLX030 (serelaxin), reduced the number of deaths in patients with acute heart failure in late-stage clinical trials.
The Phase 3 study, called RELAX-AHF, investigated the efficacy and safety of RLX030 for the treatment of acute heart failure in 1,161 patients in 11 countries. The study had two primary endpoints using different scales to measure reduction in dyspnea (shortness of breath – the most common symptom of acute heart failure). Results show that RLX030 reduces the number of deaths in patients with this disease.
Heart failure is a disease in which the heart is unable to supply enough blood to meet the needs of the body. RLX030 is the first in a new class of medicines, which acts by relaxing the blood vessels, leading to reduced stress on the heart and kidneys in both men and women.
Novartis will present the study findings at the American Heart Association (AHA) congress in Los Angeles, USA, in November 2012.
Related news:
Novartis's drug reduces heart failure deaths: study (Reuters)
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