Heart Failure Drug Developed by Novartis Effective across Patient Groups

An experimental drug from Novartis designed to treat heart failure proved to be equally effective for all patients regardless of age, according to a clinical trial released Monday.

The drug called serelaxin is a form of human hormone that relaxes blood vessels and eases stress on the heart and other organs.

It is viewed as an important medicine in the Swiss drug maker's developmental pipeline.

The analysts at Jefferies are expecting $1.5 billion a year on sales of the said drug.

Results from a Phase III study released in November found that the drug reduced deaths by 37 percent compared with placebo.

The latest research data supported these previous findings and found that the drug can perform in different patient sub-groups.

Researchers confirmed that the drug also led to reduced dyspnea or breathlessness and fewer deaths after six months in all patient groups, including those with impaired kidney functions, those aged 75 or older, those suffering from atrial fibrillation, or irregular heartbeats.

The Novartis drug is currently being assessed by various health authorities across the globe, including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency.

However, Novartis previously disclosed although serelaxin was able to reduce deaths and relieve dyspnea, it failed to hit a secondary combined objective of lowering cardiovascular death and reducing the need for patients to go back into hospitals.