Wonder new heart drug will cut deaths by a fifth - and could be available as early as next year

 

• LCZ696 described as a 'major advance' in the treatment of heart failure 
• Research compared the drug with existing treatment Enalapril
• Reduced deaths from cardiovascular causes and from all other causes 
• Also reduced hospitalisation for heart failure by more than 20 per cent 

+1

Wonder drug: A new heart drug has shown to cut deaths by a fifth and reduce hospital admissions

A new heart drug which tests have shown to save 20 per cent more lives than existing treatments could be reeled out to patients as early as next year.

Research carried out on 8,442 patients with heart failure has achieved 'remarkable' results - proving that the drug not only helps people live longer, but also means they feel better and spend less time in hospital.

Experts at the European Cardiology Society congress in Barcelona called the new compound, known as LCZ696, a 'major advance' in the treatment of heart failure, as it not only stops hormones which damage the heart, but also increases production of helpful ones.

In the study, which saw people with heart failure given either the new drug or existing treatment - 'gold standard' Enalapril - 21.8 per cent of people given LCZ696 died from heart-related issues, compared with 26.5 per cent for the Enalapril.

A further 17 per cent of patients receiving LCZ696 and 19.8 per cent of those receiving Enalapril died from any cause.

Co-leader of the trial, Professor John McMurray of the University of Glasgow, said: 'We have what we believe is a much more effective replacement for one of the gold standard drugs for the treatment of heart failure. This is a major advance in the treatment of this terrible problem.' 

The new compound, which is produced by Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis, also reduced hospitalisation for heart failure by 21 per cent, experts said.

The 'emphatic' results prompted researchers to bring the trial to an early close after 27 months