Diovan valsartan: Phase IV data; Marketed to treat hypertension

In NOVN's 2-year international Val-HeFT trial of 5,010 heart failure patients receiving other therapies, Diovan reduced the incidence of combined all-cause mortality and morbidity, the primary end point, by 13.3 percent compared to placebo (p=0.009), however the rate of all-cause mortality alone was similar between the two groups. The reduction in morbidity and mortality was pronounced in patients not receiving beta blockers or ACE inhibitors (p<0.001 for Diovan versus placebo in both groups). Diovan also reduced hospitalization for heart failure by 27.5 percent (p<0.001), slowed progression of heart failure as measured by improvement in NYHA class (p<0.001), and improved quality of life (p=0.005). Data were presented at the American Heart Association meeting in New Orleans. ...