Novartis’s acute heart failure drug disappoints at phase III study

Novartis’s acute heart failure (AHF) drug study did not meet its primary endpoint of reduction in cardiovascular death through Day 180 or reduced worsening heart failure through Day five when added to standard therapy

Novartis on Wednesday reported results from the global Phase III RELAX-AHF-2 study investigating the efficacy, safety and tolerability of RLX030 (serelaxin), in patients with acute heart failure (AHF).

“We are disappointed this study did not confirm the efficacy of RLX030 in acute heart failure, especially given the urgent need for effective new treatments for this condition,” said Vas Narasimhan, Global Head, Drug Development and Chief Medical Officer, Novartis. “We will continue to further analyze the data to better understand and learn from these results as well as evaluate next steps for the overall program.”