LONDON--Here's our final rundown of new data and analyses unveiled in London over the past week at the European Society of Cardiology Congress. It includes the latest news and updates, plus in-case-you-missed-it info, from AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson, Bayer, Pfizer, Bristol-Myers Squibb, and more.
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Boehringer Ingelheim's Pradaxa may have been first in its class of new-age anticoagulants to hit the scene, but since then, it's lost its market share lead to Johnson & Johnson ($JNJ) and Bayer's contender, Xarelto. But now Pradaxa is in line to be first on the scene with a bleeding antidote, and Boehringer touted more promising data on that front Tuesday. Report
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AstraZeneca ($AZN) predicts it'll have a label expansion in hand for growth prospect Brilinta by the end of the month. And when the drug gets that go-ahead, its sales force will be raring to go, David Ginivan, part of AZ's Brilinta team, told FiercePharma in an interview. The company's U.S. sales ranks--made up of about 550 reps, as well as an additional 150 or so cardiovascular nurse consultants--is champing at the bit to talk up the blood thinner for long-term use. Report
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AstraZeneca racked up more evidence for that long-term use of its blood thinner Brilinta, with a new analysis of its PEGASUS trial, showing that uninterrupted antiplatelet therapy worked best at keeping cardiovascular events at bay. Perhaps more importantly, the European Society of Cardiology backed longer-term use of blood thinners, such as Brilinta, for patients who've had heart attacks, rather than the previously advised 12 months. Report
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What does Eli Lilly ($LLY) and Boehringer Ingelheim's new cardiovascular data on Jardiance mean for Merck & Co.'s blockbuster diabetes rival Januvia? Not much yet, Merck says. A CV trial did show that Jardiance, an SGLT2 drug, helped lower the risk of heart attacks, strokes and death, but the details won't be public till later this month. And even if the data comes up aces, treating diabetes often means combining different types of meds. DPP-4s like Januvia plus SGLT2s like Jardiance, for instance. Report
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Johnson & Johnson ($JNJ) and Bayer touted new real-world data on their anticoagulant drug Xarelto, with large studies confirming the safety stats in the key clinical trial used to win regulatory approval. But Pfizer and Bristol-Myers countered with their own real-world data on Eliquis, suggesting that their med offered "significant reductions" in major bleeding, not only compared with the old standard therapy warfarin, but with Xarelto, too. Report
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The good news keeps rolling in for Merck ($MRK) when it comes to the cardiovascular safety of its DPP-4 diabetes drug, Januvia. According to a new analysis of the TECOS trial, patients with Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease--even those with a history of heart failure--can take the drug without an increased risk of CV complications. The new analysis follows June's initial TECOS presentation, which left "some questions unanswered" about patients who came into the study with heart failure problems. Report
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There's no need to make a big effort to keep Eliquis patients on their meds. That's the good news for Bristol-Myers Squibb ($BMY) and Pfizer ($PFE), from an ongoing study presented at ESC. Atrial fibrillation patients posted adherence rates of nearly 90% on the drug, with or without reminder tools and coaching. Report
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Sanofi's new diabetes drug Lyxumia passed its heart safety test in an outcomes trial unveiled in June. The drug didn't boost the risk of CV events compared with placebo, but then again, it didn't decrease those risks either. Now, a new analysis of that trial--called ELIXA--showed the same results in Type 2 diabetes patients with acute coronary syndrome. Report
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Last Thursday's FDA approval for Amgen's ($AMGN) PCSK9 competitor, Repatha, kicked off a head-to-head contest between that med and recently green-lighted Praluent from Sanofi ($SNY) and Regeneron ($REGN). And with the newcomers bearing similar labels, both Sanofi and Amgen are homing in on their individual strengths to get a leg up in the marketplace. Report
Special Reports: Top 10 drug brands by payments to doctors - Xarelto - Eliquis | Top 15 pharma companies by 2014 revenue - Johnson & Johnson - Pfizer - Sanofi - Merck - AstraZeneca - Bayer - Bristol-Myers Squibb - Eli Lilly