AZ and Novoheart collaborate on ‘heart in a jar’, to develop new HF drugs
pharmaphorum | November 27, 2019
Stem cell biotech Novoheart is to collaborate with AstraZeneca to develop a “heart in a jar” that will be used to help develop new heart failure drugs. The companies will work on the world’s first human-specific in vitro functional model of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). HFpEF is a common condition especially among the elderly and in women, with reported prevalence approaching 10% in women aged over 80. AZ has already made inroads into heart failure with its Farxiga, approved by the FDA last month to reduce chances of hospitalisations for heart failure in adults with type 2 diabetes and other cardiovascular risks. The FDA has granted Fast Track designation for Farxiga to reduce the risk of CV death, or the worsening of heart failure in adults with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) or HFpEF based on the Phase 3 DAPA-HF and DELIVER trials. Boehringer and Eli Lilly are developing Jardiance in heart failure, including the preserved ejection fraction indication, after the drug showed promise in cardiology following initial approvals in diabetes. This all comes after Novartis’ big heart failure drug Entresto failed in a trial involving patients with preserved ejection fraction earlier this year, leaving the door open for other drug makers to exploit this lucrative niche.