AstraZenecas Farxiga pads its case for new heart-helping approval

AstraZeneca is still stinging after its SGLT2 diabetes drug Farxiga was waved off by the FDA in Type 1 disease. But heres something that could ease the pain- New outcomes data showing Farxiga cut cardiovascular risks in heart failure patients with or without diabetes. In a phase 3 trial, Farxiga cut the risk of cardiovascular death or hospitalization in patients with reduced ejection fraction HFrEF, when added to standard treatments for heart failure. The data could help Farxiga score a CV risk-reduction approval, a distinction its rivals in the SGLT2 class already have. The trial, dubbed Dapa-HF, was the first to test an SGLT2 drug against heart failure in patients with or without Type 2 diabetes, the company said. It pitted Farxiga plus standard therapy against standard therapy alone. AstraZeneca plans to take the data to regulators "as soon as possible," Mene Pangalos, EVP of BioPharmaceuticals R&D, said in a statement.