WEDNESDAY, Feb. 23, 2005 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the AstraZeneca
blood pressure drug Atacand to reduce the risk of death and
hospitalization from heart failure.
The drug belongs to a class of medications called angiotensin
receptor blockers (ARB). In a study of 2,028 heart failure patients who
were intolerant to a separate class of medicines called ACE inhibitors,
Atacand lowered patients' risk of death or hospitalization by 23
percent, the company said in a statement.
Heart failure, caused when the heart becomes unable to effectively
pump blood to the rest of the body, affects nearly 5 million Americans
and contributes to some 300,000 deaths annually, AstraZeneca said,
citing the American Heart Association. More than half a million new
cases are diagnosed each year, and the condition is responsible for
more than 3.5 million hospitalizations annually, the company added.
Atacand can harm a developing fetus and should not be used by women
as soon as they discover they are pregnant, AstraZeneca said.
To learn more about heart failure, check the FDA's Heart Health Online.
