Study Shows New Heart Failure Drug Works Wonders
An exciting new drug for heart failure is already in the advanced experimental stages. Referred to as LCZ696 since it has not yet received an official name, researchers are calling the drug a breakthrough medication that will revolutionize therapy for people with heart failure.
Heart failure affects approximately 6 million people in America and four times that number of people worldwide. It is caused by a weakening of the heart muscle (usually due to a prior heart attack), to the point where it cannot pump blood properly. The disease is one of the top killers in the country, not to mention the number-one reason why elderly people are hospitalized.
The new drug, made by the company Novartis, promises a very high success rate based on the strength of the study undertaken. Novartis tested the drug on over 8,700 people in 47 countries, comprising the largest single study ever conducted on heart failure. The drug worked so well in the study that it was cut short, citing a clear advantage over previous heart failure medications. In fact, the study indicated that the drug increased the chances of living for people going through heart failure, by about 20%, while also raising the quality of life for patients. As if that weren’t enough, Novartis’s drug even features less side effects.
LCZ696 consists of two separate medications combined into one pill to be taken twice daily. It prevents harmful substances from reaching the heart, while also dilating blood vessels so that the heart has an easier time pumping blood. Several doctors are saying this will be the go-to drug for heart failure upon approval and distribution. Novartis plans to seek approval in the United States toward the end of 2014.
Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/30/heart-failure-drug_n_5741148.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular
The information supplied in this article is not to be considered as medical advice and is for educational purposes only.
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