Novartis: heart drug misses primary goal in late stage trial
(CercleFinance.com) - Swiss drugmaker Novartis has said that its heart drug Entresto has not met the primary endpoint in a late-stage trial to determine its ability to treat heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), a distinct type of heart failure, sending the stock down on Monday.
The Phase III study "narrowly missed" statistical significance for its composite primary endpoint of reducing cardiovascular death and total heart failure hospitalizations, the group said.
However, Novartis said all evidence from the trial suggests that the treatment may result in clinically important benefits in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, for which there is currently no approved treatment.
In patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, the heart muscle contracts normally but the ventricles do not relax as they should during ventricular filling.
The shares of Novartis are currently down 1.3%, the biggest faller on Zurich's SMI index.
Copyright (c) 2019 CercleFinance.com. All rights reserved.
The Phase III study "narrowly missed" statistical significance for its composite primary endpoint of reducing cardiovascular death and total heart failure hospitalizations, the group said.
However, Novartis said all evidence from the trial suggests that the treatment may result in clinically important benefits in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, for which there is currently no approved treatment.
In patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, the heart muscle contracts normally but the ventricles do not relax as they should during ventricular filling.
The shares of Novartis are currently down 1.3%, the biggest faller on Zurich's SMI index.
Copyright (c) 2019 CercleFinance.com. All rights reserved.