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AstraZeneca's blockbuster heart drug reduces risk of death with prolonged use

AstraZeneca PLC said prolonged use of its heart drug Brilinta reduced the risk of death in heart attack survivors.

Based on a sub-analysis of the Pegasus-TIMI 54 study, heart patients with the multi-vessel disease were at a 19% lower risk of major adverse cardiac events, such as heart attacks and heart failure, if they continued Brilinta, or ticagrelor, beyond one year.

The study also showed that these participants were at a 36% lower risk of a sudden cardiac death.

The phase 3 trial enrolled 21,162 patients, of which 12,558 participants, or nearly 60%, had the multi-vessel disease.

Participants received Brilinta plus low dose aspirin, and the combination was compared against aspirin alone.

"Findings suggest this high-risk population may benefit from extended, preventative anti-platelet therapy beyond the initial 12-month post-event period," AstraZeneca said in a statement.

Pegasus-TIMI 54 was the study from which Brilinta gained regulatory approval for the long-term prevention of cardiac death, heart attack and stroke for patients with a history of heart attack.

Brilinta gained the so-called blockbuster status for the U.K. based pharmaceutical company in 2017, signifying that it had achieved more than $1 billion in sales.