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Biotech / Medical : Pharma News Only (pfe,mrk,wla, sgp, ahp, bmy, lly)

PFE 24.44

-1.7%

Nov 7 9:30 AM EST

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To: Anthony Wong who wrote (1031)	11/11/1998 8:02:00 PM
From: Anthony Wong	Read Replies (1) of 1722

Searle says drug cut heart patient mortality rates Wednesday November 11, 7:26 pm Eastern Time DALLAS, Nov 11 (Reuters) - Searle, Monsanto Corp.'s (NYSE:MTC - news) pharmaceutical division, said Wednesday that a study found adding its Aldactone to standard treatments reduced deaths by 27 percent in patients who had suffered severe heart failure. The study was sponsored by Searle and conducted by the University of Michigan, and the results presented to the American Heart Association meeting in Dallas. Aldactone has been commonly used since 1960 for treating edema (excessive accumulation of fluid), but had not been indicated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat severe heart failure patients. A Searle spokesman said the company had not decided whether to seek FDA approval to market the new use. Bertram Pitt, the lead investigator, said the study has changed preconceived notions about treating severe heart failure. Aldactone blocks the release of aldosterone by the body. Aldosterone causes sodium retention, which can lead to various negative effects, including hardening of the arteries in the heart. Pitt, of the University of Michigan's cardiology division, said the study shows that common treatments for severe heart failure were not sufficient to block aldosterone. Typical treatment regimens for severe heart failure include angiotensin converting enzymes, or ACE inhibitors, which have been thought by doctors to reduce aldosterone. The study followed 1,663 patients in 15 countries. During the trial there was a 44 percent death rate among the group receiving standard therapies and a 34 percent death rate among the Aldactone group, which received the drug in addition to standard therapies. Originally scheduled to end in December 1999, the trial was halted 18 months early, when the independent Data Safety Monitoring Board said the Aldactone patients had significantly lowered mortality rates. biz.yahoo.com

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