FDA APPROVES NOVARTIS' DIOVAN

Novartis Pharmaceuticals announced that the FDA has approved Diovan (valsartan), the most prescribed ARB (angiotensin receptor blocker) in the U.S. and worldwide, for a new indication to reduce cardiovascular death in patients at high risk (with left ventricular failure or left ventricular dysfunction) following a heart attack. The FDA also expanded the drug's heart failure labeling. Diovan can now be prescribed in a broader range of heart failure patients and is no longer limited to those intolerant of ACE inhibitors.

High blood pressure, a disease that affects more than 65 million Americans, greatly increases the risk of suffering a heart attack or developing heart failure. Each year, 1.2 million Americans suffer a heart attack, which puts them at greater risk of repeat attacks or death. Patients who have experienced a heart attack may also progress to heart failure. In fact, within six years, nearly one-third of heart attack survivors will be disabled with heart failure, a progressive condition in which the heart's muscle weakens after injury from other cardiovascular conditions such as a heart attack or high blood pressure.