FDA approves Eli Lilly drug to cut death and hospitalisation risk in all heart patients

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said recently that it had approved Eli Lilly and partner Boehringer Ingelheim’s drug, Jardiance, for expanded use in reducing the risk of death and hospitalisation for all patients with heart failure.

The drug was approved last year for some adults living with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction, which happens when the muscle of the left ventricle is not pumping as well as normal.

“While Jardiance may not be effective in all patients with heart failure, this approval is a significant step forward for patients and our understanding of heart failure,” said Norman Stockbridge, Director, Division of Cardiology and Nephrology, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER), FDA.

The drug was originally approved in 2014 as a supplement to diet and exercise to improve glucose control in adults with type-II diabetes.