Pfizer’s Inspra shows heart disease benefits among high-risk patients

Pfizer has highlighted data from a new study which shows the potential benefits of its drug Inspra in protecting high-risk patients from the worst effects of heart disease.

Results from the Emphasis-HF trial showcased at the European Society of Cardiology Congress reveals that Inspra, when added to standard therapy, can reduce rates of cardiovascular death and heart failure hospitalisation among vulnerable heart failure patients.

These include those aged over 75, type 2 diabetes or left ventricular ejection fraction sufferers, and patients affected by problems with their systolic blood pressure or estimated glomerular filtration rate.

As yet, the eplerenone therapy is yet to be approved for use among these study populations in any market.

Professor Bertram Pitt of the University of Michigan School of Medicine's division of cardiology, one of the study's investigators, said: "The results reported today suggest that adding eplerenone to standard therapy can significantly reduce cardiovascular death and hospitalisation in these patients who are of particular concern to clinicians."

Earlier this month, Pfizer announced that two of its newest cancer therapies, crizotinib and bosutinib, have been accepted for regulatory review by the European Medicines Agency.