Novartis heart failure treatment Entresto® is awarded prestigious Prix Galien Canada Innovative Product Award

DORVAL, QC, Nov. 21, 2018 /CNW/ - Novartis heart failure treatment Entresto^® (sacubitril/valsartan) has been named the winner of the 2018 Prix Galien Canada Innovative Product Award. Entresto was approved in 2015 by Health Canada for the treatment of heart failure with reduced ejection fraction in patients with New York Heart Association (NYHA) Class II or III, to reduce the incidence of cardiovascular death and heart failure hospitalization¹. The award was presented to Novartis last night at a ceremony in Toronto.

The Prix Galien is the most prestigious award in the field of Canadian pharmaceutical research and innovation. The Innovative Product Award recognizes the new treatment that has "made the most significant overall contribution to patient care in Canada in terms of efficacy, safety, benefits and innovation²."

"We are very proud of our work with Entresto. Receiving this award recognizes the innovation this treatment brings to Canadian patients," said Janice Murray, President, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Canada Inc. who accepted the award at the ceremony. "It is a tribute to the large team of Novartis researchers, clinical researchers across Canada as well as our many Novartis associates who worked for years to develop Entresto and make it available to patients."

The work of the Novartis researchers which ultimately led to the development of Entresto began with an important discovery by Canadian researchers. In 1980, a team led by Dr. Adolfo J. de Bold, at Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, and including others at the University of Toronto, discovered atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP), a hormone excreted by heart muscle cells. This work established that the heart has an endocrine function through which it modulates blood pressure, blood volume and cardiovascular growth. The discovery was the basis of subsequent research by Dr. de Bold and others for new heart disease treatments, including Entresto³.

Heart failure is a debilitating and life-threatening condition in which the heart cannot pump enough blood around the body. Symptoms such as breathlessness, fatigue and fluid retention can appear slowly and worsen over time, significantly impacting quality of life⁴. An estimated 600,000 Canadians live with heart failure⁵ and about 1 in 5 individuals will develop it at some point in their lives^6,7. Heart failure is responsible for 9 per cent of all deaths in Canada or about 22,000 per year⁸ which is almost equal to the number of deaths from breast, colorectal, prostate and pancreatic cancer combined⁹. In Canada, it is the fifth leading cause of hospitalization overall¹⁰ and the second leading cause of hospitalization in Canada for people 65 years or older¹¹.

Entresto is a first-in-class medicine containing sacubitril, a neutral endopeptidase inhibitor and valsartan, an angiotensin II AT₁ receptor blocker. A twice-a-day tablet, it has a unique mode of action which is thought to reduce the strain on the failing heart^12,13,14 by enhancing the protective neurohormonal systems of the heart (NP system) while simultaneously suppressing the compensatory renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system (the RAAS) which can be harmful over time¹³.

About Novartis Pharmaceuticals Canada
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Canada Inc., a leader in the healthcare field, is committed to the discovery, development and marketing of innovative products to improve the well-being of all Canadians. In 2017, the company invested $51 million in research and development in Canada. Located in Dorval, Quebec, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Canada Inc. employs approximately 750 people in Canada and is an affiliate of Novartis AG, which provides innovative healthcare solutions that address the evolving needs of patients and societies. For further information, please consult www.novartis.ca.

About Novartis
Novartis provides innovative healthcare solutions that address the evolving needs of patients and societies. Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Novartis offers a diversified portfolio to best meet these needs: innovative medicines, cost-saving generic and biosimilar pharmaceuticals and eye care. Novartis has leading positions globally in each of these areas. In 2017, the Group achieved net sales of USD 49.1 billion, while R&D throughout the Group amounted to approximately USD 9.0 billion. Novartis Group companies employ approximately 125,000 full-time-equivalent associates. Novartis products are sold in approximately 155 countries around the world. For more information, please visit http://www.novartis.com.

References

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¹ Novartis Pharmaceuticals Canada Inc., Entresto^® Product Monograph, October 24, 2017, p. 3.
² Prix Galien Canada, Innovative Product Award, accessed November 2018: http://eng.prix-galien-canada.com/home_page.html 
³ The Canadian Medical Hall of Fame, Laureates, Dr. Adolfo de Bold (inducted 2014), accessed November November 2018 at: http://www.cdnmedhall.org/inductees/dr-adolfo-de-bold 
⁴ Fauci A, Longo D. Disorders of the Heart. Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine. 17th ed. 2008; 4:1442-55.
⁵ Heart & Stroke Foundation 2016 Report on the health of Canadians, p2; accessed November 2018 at: https://www.heartandstroke.ca/-/media/pdf-files/canada/2017-heart-month/heartandstroke-reportonhealth-2016.ashx?la=en 
⁶ Go et al, Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics – 2014 Update: A Report From the American Heart Association, Circulation 2014, 4;129:e28-e292.
⁷ Lloyd-Jones DM et al. Lifetime risk for developing congestive heart failure: the Framingham Heart Study. Circulation 2002; 106:3068–72.
⁸ Brophy JM. Epidemiology of congestive heart failure: Canadian data from 1970 to 1989. Can J Cardiol 1992; 8:495-498.
⁹ Canadian Cancer Society. Canadian Cancer Statistics 2018: A special report, p.42, Toronto: Canadian Cancer Society; 2018.
¹⁰ Canadian Institute for Health Information, Inpatient Hospitalizations, Surgeries and Childbirth Indicators in 2016-17, April 2018 accessed November 2018 at: https://www.cihi.ca/sites/default/files/document/hospch-hosp-2016-2017-snapshot_en.pdf 
¹¹ Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI), A Snapshot of Health in Canada as Demonstrated by Top 10 Lists, 2011, p. 10, accessed November 2018 at: https://secure.cihi.ca/free_products/Top10ReportEN-Web.pdf.
¹² McMurray JJ, Packer M, Desai AS, et al. Dual angiotensin receptor and neprilysin inhibition as an alternative to angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition in patients with chronic systolic heart failure: rationale for and design of the Prospective comparison of ARNI with ACEI to Determine Impact on Global Mortality and morbidity in Heart Failure trial (PARADIGM-HF). Eur J Heart Fail 2013;15,1062–1073 (doi:10.1093/eurjhf/hft052).
¹³ Langenickel TH, Dole WP. Angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibition with LCZ696: a novel approach for the treatment of heart failure. Drug Discovery Today: Therapeutic Strategies.2012, Vol 9. No.4.
¹⁴ Solomon SD et al. The angiotensin receptor neprilysin inhibitor LCZ696 in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction: a phase 2 double-blind randomised controlled trial. Lancet. 2012; 380:1387–95.

SOURCE Novartis Pharmaceuticals Canada Inc.

Novartis Media Relations: Patricia Tiramani, Novartis Corporate Communications, [phone], E-mail: [email protected]; Spectrum Advisors, [phone], [email protected]

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