Dubai, United Arab Emirates: Middle East physicians have welcomed the decision by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) to approve popular anti-cholesterol treatment Lipitor Tablets to reduce the risk of nonfatal heart attacks, fatal and non-fatal strokes, certain types of heart surgery, hospitalization for heart failure, and chest pain in patients with heart disease.
This new approval expands the use of Lipitor to patients at high risk for cardiovascular events because of established heart disease such as prior heart attack, prior heart surgery, or chest pain with evidence of clogged arteries. Previously, Lipitor was approved to reduce cardiovascular events in patients without heart disease.
Lipitor is the first cholesterol-lowering medication to receive FDA approval for the reduction of the risk of hospitalization for heart failure.
According to data from the Partners International Cardiovascular Conference, a staggering 41 percent of all deaths in the UAE are the result of heart disease.
"These new indications are important since many patients who have heart disease remain at risk for another cardiovascular event, and now these indications broaden the means to reduce their risk," said Dr. John C. LaRosa, president and professor of medicine at the State University of New York Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. and lead investigator for the Treating to New Targets (TNT) trial.
"The significant reduction in cardiovascular events seen in the TNT trial can now be applied to everyday practice and benefit people with heart disease," he added.
The approval is based on results from the landmark TNT trial and supported by findings from the Incremental Decrease in Endpoints through Aggressive Lipid Lowering (IDEAL) trial.
The five-year TNT study involved 10,000 patients with both heart disease and elevated LDL levels. It is the largest study of Lipitor 80 mg efficacy and safety.
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© Press Release 2007
