LONDON -(Dow Jones)- Sanofi-Aventis SA's (SNY) experimental heart drug Multaq can significantly decrease the number of days patients with irregular heartbeat spend in hospital, according to an analysis released Tuesday of a study earlier this year.
Compared with placebo, Multaq reduced the total number of hospital days by 28% in patients who took the medicine in addition to standard therapy, Sanofi-Aventis said.
The new analysis of the late-stage trial involving more than 4,600 patients also found Multaq decreased the total length of time spent in hospital due to heart-related problems by 35%.
The trial, dubbed Athena, showed in May that Multaq significantly cut the risk of hospitalizations or death in patients with atrial fibrillation, a type of irregular heartbeat that can cause blood clots and stroke.
Multaq, generically known as dronedarone, has become one of the bright spots in Sanofi-Aventis' pipeline, after overcoming some setbacks.
In 2003, the French drugmaker halted one trial of the drug when it appeared patients taking Multaq were dying at a higher rate than those taking a dummy treatment, although two other studies didn't show any serious side effects.
Three years later, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration rejected the drug, saying it needed more information. But earlier this year, it assigned priority review to Multaq after Sanofi-Aventis filed a new marketing application.
Multaq is also under regulatory review by the European Medicines Agency.
Company Web site: www.sanofi-aventis.com
-By Elena Berton, Dow Jones Newswires; 44 20 7842 9267; elena.berton@dowjones.com
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(END) Dow Jones Newswires
November 11, 2008 10:45 ET (15:45 GMT)

Publié le 11 novembre 2008 Copyright © 2008 Dowjones