New AstraZeneca drug to help improve heart attack management

MANILA, Philippines - AstraZeneca Philippines has launched ticagrelor, an innovative medicine that can help save more lives in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS).

ACS is an umbrella term for conditions that result from insufficient blood supply to the heart muscle, ranging from unstable angina (unremitting chest pain that threatens a heart attack) to heart attack.

Different treatment strategies have been developed for heart attack patients. However, the risk of death due to a heart attack remains high: nearly one in six patients may die within the first year of their heart attack.

Ticagrelor belongs to a new class of oral antiplatelet treatment for ACS that works by preventing the formation of new blood clots and maintaining blood flow in the body to help reduce a patient’s risk of suffering another (potentially fatal) heart attack.

“The landmark PLATO study showed that ticagrelor is superior to clopidogrel in reducing the risk of vascular death and heart attack in patients with ACS,” said Dr. John French, director of CCU and Cardiovascular Research of the Liverpool Hospital in Sydney, Australia.

French was the guest speaker during the recent ticagrelor launch at Crowne Plaza Galleria Hotel in Quezon City.

The PLATO study is a head-to-head randomized controlled trial that compared ticagrelor and clopidogrel, the standard antiplatelet drug, involving more than 18,000 ACS patients worldwide — that included a sizable number of post-cardiac event Filipino patients across hospitals in the country.

Based on the results of the landmark study, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last year approved ticagrelor for use in reducing the risk of heart attack and cardiovascular death in adult patients with ACS.

“AstraZeneca’s commitment to research and development in cardiovascular medicine enabled us to identify unmet needs and potential areas for improvement in oral anti-platelet therapy that led to the development of ticagrelor,” said Dr. Milagros Tan, medical director of AstraZeneca Philippines.

With over 40 years of experience in cardiovascular disease research and development (R&D), AstraZeneca has a rich heritage in cardiovascular disease therapy.

One of the world’s leading cardiovascular pharmaceutical companies, AstraZeneca continuously discovers and develops drugs that address the cardiovascular disease continuum and impact the management of cardiovascular diseases — from risk factors to diseases of the heart and eventually heart failure and death.

AstraZeneca has a long and prestigious history of collaboration with scientists who have been awarded the Nobel Prize, including James Black, Hans von Euler-Chelpin and his son, Ulf von Euler, Ernst Boris Chain, Howard Walter Florey, Hugo Theorell, and Arvid Carlsson.

“Thanks to our partnership with respected scientists, AstraZeneca has been able to discover and develop innovative medicines that contributed scientific data to international treatment guidelines and improved lives of patients,” Tan said.

Acknowledging the vital role of media in increasing public awareness on health, AstraZeneca Philippines also held “The A to Z of ACS,” a workshop for members of local print and broadcast media organizations on the treatment and management of ACS, during the launch of ticagrelor.

“Leading a healthy lifestyle is crucial in preventing ACS,” said Dr. Fed Cheng, consultant cardiologist at the Cardinal Santos Medical Center, who was the workshop resource speaker.

According to Philippine Heart Association (PHA) vice president Dr. Eugene Reyes, “One of the main hurdles in improving heart attack management in the country is poor control of cardiovascular risk factors, such as smoking, hypertension, high blood cholesterol, diabetes, physical inactivity, obesity, and unhealthy diet.”

“Factors that contribute to the poor control of risk factors include low awareness/knowledge, suboptimal patient compliance and health behavior, socio-economic status, physician attitude and gaps in the healthcare system,” Reyes said.

To improve the quality of care for Filipino patients with ACS and ultimately reduce deaths caused by the syndrome, AstraZeneca Philippines has provided financial support for the Philippine Heart Association ACS Registry Program. It is one of several research-based pharmaceutical companies funding the PHA research project.

With the launch of ticagrelor, AstraZeneca in the Philippines is committed to bringing new innovative drugs in the post cardiac event phase to help patients live a near normal life.

“Beyond the product offering, we are also keen to working with Filipino doctors, medical societies, and the government in helping improve outcomes post-cardiac events,” said Gagan Singh, country president of AstraZeneca Philippines.