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Sanofi, Regeneron, J&J drugs featured at US cardiology meeting

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Sanofi's cholesterol-lowering drug Praluent took center stage at the American College of Cardiology annual meeting in Orlando, Fla.

Praluent cut the risk of heart attacks and other major acute cardiovascular events by 15% in a trial. The cardiovascular events measured, known by the acronym MACE, included heart attack, ischemic stroke, death from coronary heart disease or plaque buildup in the artery that required hospitalization.

In the trial, dubbed Odyssey, the medicine showed effectiveness among patients with the highest level of a lipoprotein known as LDL-C, which is associated with bad cholesterol. Patients with LDL-C levels at or above 100 milligrams per deciliter showed a 24% reduced risk of MACE in the study.

The drug's list price is about $14,000 a year. However, the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review, or ICER, has suggested that it should retail for between $4,500 and $8,000 for high-risk patients.

A race in cardiology

Johnson & Johnson's type 2 diabetes drug Invokana significantly reduced the chance of cardiovascular death or hospitalization for heart failure in patients with type 2 diabetes at high cardiovascular risk, according to study results presented at the meeting.

Invokana, known chemically as canagliflozin, reduced the risk of cardiovascular death or hospitalization for heart failure by 22%. The drug also led to a reduced risk of fatal or hospitalized heart failure by 30% and hospitalization for heart failure alone by 33%.

Meanwhile, Johnson & Johnson's and Bayer AG's blood-thinning drug Xarelto, or rivaroxaban, in combination with aspirin lowered the chance of patients getting a serious blood clot in their arm or leg due to peripheral artery disease by 49% versus aspirin alone in a study.

Peripheral artery disease occurs when arteries become hard or narrow due to a buildup of plaque, limiting blood flow to parts of the body.

The Xarelto-aspirin regimen cut the chances of requiring procedures to remove plaque and restore the flow of blood by 29% and hospitalizations related to such events by 28%, compared to aspirin alone.

The trial, known as Compass, also saw a 55% decrease in amputations.

Real-world results for Eliquis

Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. and Pfizer Inc.'s blood thinner Eliquis had lower rates of stroke and major bleeding in a real-world environment than patients on Johnson & Johnson's Xarelto and Pradaxa from Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH.

The conclusion was based on an analysis of five health plan databases, including Medicare data and claims information from commercial insurers Humana Inc. and UnitedHealth Group Inc.'s Optum, as well as market researchers Truven MarketScan and IMS, now part of IQVIA Holdings Inc.

The risk reduction in patients without a history of past heart failures was 13%.

Results from a real-world study of AstraZeneca PLC's Farxiga showed that the drug cut the risk of all-cause death, hospitalization for heart failure, heart attack and stroke in patients with type-2 diabetes.

Farxiga belongs to a class of drugs known as SGLT-2 inhibitors, which work by removing blood sugar through the urine. The drug was being compared against other glucose-lowering medicines.

The study analyzed data collected in six countries from sources including medical records, claims databases and national registers.

Aironite, Uloric studies

The American College of Cardiology meeting also featured data from the Indie study involving Savara Inc.'s sodium nitrite inhalation solution, Aironite, which failed to improve peak exercise capacity in certain patients with heart failure.

The study evaluated the use of inhaled inorganic nitrite for relief of symptoms in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, or HFpEF, in which the ventricles do not relax as they should.

Aironite also failed to meet secondary goals, including quality of life and lung efficiency at maximal exercise.

Data released at the meeting showed gout patients with a cardiovascular disease face a 34% higher risk of premature death if treated with the drug febuxostat than with an older drug, allopurinol, in a trial.

The study, dubbed Cares, also found that the rates of major cardiovascular events including nonfatal heart attack, stroke and hospitalization for heart failure, were 10.8% for febuxostat and 10.4% for allopurinol.

Gout is a form of inflammatory arthritis characterized by recurrent attacks of a red, tender, hot and swollen joint.

The study was funded by Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., which sells febuxostat under the brand name Uloric.

Wearable patch may detect signs of stroke risk

In a study presented at the meeting, iRhythm Technologies Inc. said its wearable patch could spot silent heart abnormalities before they trigger strokes and other events.

The San Francisco-based digital health company worked with medical insurer Aetna Inc. and a unit of Johnson & Johnson to study the small patch's ability to detect irregular heart rates that can lead to stroke.

'Triple pill' promising in cutting blood pressure targets

A drug therapy, known as the "triple pill," decreased blood pressure levels by 70% compared with traditional drug treatment, research showed.

The pill comprises blood pressure medications telmisartan, amlodipine and chlorthalidone.

Blood thinner antidote

Portola Pharmaceuticals Inc.'s AndexXa, or andexanet, may be able to reverse the effect of blood thinning agents that cause bleeding emergencies in patients, researchers found.

In the study, the reversal agent reduced the anticoagulant activity of the drugs, known as factor Xa inhibitors, by 91%.

Barbers cut hair and blood pressure

Health promotion by barbers resulted in larger blood pressure reduction when coupled with medication management in barber shops by trained pharmacists among African-American barbershop patrons, researchers found.