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Lilly’s new heart drug Efient (prasugrel) is being hailed as an effective treatment that will also benefit the NHS.
When combined with aspirin, it targets patients who suffer unstable angina or have had a heart attack and who subsequently undergo an angioplasty to re-open a blocked artery.
Data from several trials, including TRITON-TIMI 38, show that when taken with aspirin, prasugrel may help prevent further cardiovascular events.
It will also save the NHS and UK economy money, since heart disease is estimated to cost a total of £30.7 billion a year in hospital treatment and lost production.
Says Dr Marcus Flather, consultant cardiologist at Royal Brompton Hospital: “Prasugrel further reduces the risk of heart attacks and deaths. The UK still has one of the highest rates of these conditions in the world, and new drugs such as prasugrel are vital to decreasing the risk for patients.”
Trials found that, compared to Plavix (clopidogrel), prasugrel reduces the risk of cardiovascular death, heart attack or stroke in ACS PCI patients by 19%.
It also cuts the risk of recurrent cardiovascular events in ACS patients who undergo PCI by 35%.
Copyright Press Association 2009
