3/14/2010-According to a study released Sunday, the Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) diabetes drug Starlix failed to reduce progression to the disease or cut down on serious heart problems in patients at high risk for both diabetes and heart disease.
The 9,306-patient study tested Starlix, known chemically as nateglinide, and the popular Novartis blood pressure medicine Diovan.
Diovan, known chemically as valsartan, reduced progression to diabetes by 14% compared to a placebo but failed to reduce the risk of serious heart problems, such as heart attack and stroke, according to researchers who presented the data at the American College of Cardiology scientific meeting in Atlanta.
"Most experts believed that nateglinide would prevent diabetes and that valsartan would reduce cardiovascular events in this population. Interestingly, with respect to nateglinide, we found the opposite," said Dr. Robert Califf, the study's lead investigator.