WEDNESDAY, April 02, 2003 (HealthDayNews) --
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved GlaxoSmithKline's beta-blocking heart drug Coreg (carvedilol) for people with impaired heart function.
In clinical studies, when Coreg was begun within 21 days of a heart attack, it reduced the risk of dying from a post-heart attack condition called left ventricular dysfunction by 23 percent, the FDA says. The trials involved 1,900 patients at 160 sites in more than 17 countries.
Left ventricular dysfunction causes a reduction in the pumping ability of the heart's main chamber.
Glaxo cites an American Heart Association estimate that people who survive acute heart attacks are up to 15 times more likely to become sick or die from a future cardiac problem or other serious illness.
People who shouldn't take Coreg include those on certain drugs to improve blood circulation, those with asthma or other breathing problems, those with irregular heartbeat, and those with liver disease, the company says.
For more information about Coreg, visit Glaxo's Web site.
