Chain Drug Review - Merck gets good news on Vasotec
Merck Gets Good News On Vasotec
NEW YORK - Merck & Co.’s Vasotec, one of the new class of ACE inhibitor heart drugs, has been found not only to control blood pressure but also to reduce death rates and hospitalization. Now, Merck is faced with the pleasant task of trying to incorporate that news onto its product labeling.
According to a report published in The New England Journal of Medicine, usage of Vasotec, known generically as enalapril, resulted in a 16% reduction in risk of mortality. Additionally, there was about a one-third reduction in risk of hospitalization among those taking the drug.
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“Our study shows that, for moderate and mild heart failure, there is clear benefit,” says Salim Yusuf, project officer for the study at the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. “Until now we didn’t have a treatment that improved survival.”
Vasotec, a drug already prescribed for approximately 400,000 Americans, yields an estimated $600,000 in annual sales, according to Wedbush Morgan Securities.
A Merck spokesman notes that the average retail cost of a 5 mg. dosage of Vasotec is $1.34, or approximately $488 annually. It is currently approved for severe congestive heart failure in conjunction with other medications. The company is now considering labeling changes to include the new findings.
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