Alliance News) - AstraZeneca PLC on Thursday said Forxiga has been approved in China by the National Medical Products Administration for heart failure treatment.
The FTSE 100 Anglo-Swedish drug manufacturer said the DAPA-HF phase three trial demonstrated that Forxiga reduced the risk of the composite of cardiovascular death or worsening of heart failure events. Forxiga is the first sodium-glucose co-transporter two inhibitor to have shown this benefit.
During the trial, AstraZeneca said one cardiovascular death, hospitalisation for heart failure or an urgent heart failure visit resulting in intravenous therapy associated with heart failure could be avoided for every 21 patients treated with Forxiga.
"There is no known cure for chronic heart failure except for heart transplantation, which is why there is an urgent need for new treatment options that can improve symptoms and help patients live longer. This approval marks another important step forward in our ambition to improve outcomes for millions of people worldwide living with this life-threatening disease," said Mene Pangalos, Executive Vice President at AstraZeneca's biopharmaceuticals research & development.
Forxiga, known as Farxiga in the US, is approved in the US, Europe, Japan and several other countries around the world for the treatment of adult patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction.
Additionally, AstraZeneca is currently testing Forxiga in heart failure patients with preserved ejection fraction in the DELIVER phase three trial, with data readout anticipated in the second half of 2021. It is also being tested in patients without type-2 diabetes following an acute myocardial infarction or heart attack in the DAPA-MI phase three trial - a first of its kind, indication-seeking registry-based randomised controlled trial.
Shares in AstraZeneca were up 1.7% at 7,425.00 pence in London on Thursday.
By Zoe Wickens; zoewickens@alliancenews.com
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