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New analysis reveals use of Coreg® (CARVEDILOL) at hospital discharge associated with improved survival in patients with heart failure


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OPTIMIZE-HF Registry Analysis Highlighted at the 55th Annual Scientific Session of the American College of Cardiology

Atlanta, GA, March 13 — Patients with heart failure who were prescribed the beta-blocking agent Coreg ® (carvedilol) at the time of their hospital discharge showed improved survival rates at 60-90 days, according to results of a new analysis from the heart failure registry, OPTIMIZE-HF (Organized Program To Initiate life-saving treaMent In hospitaliZEd patients with Heart Failure). Presented today at the 55th Annual Scientific Session of the American Collegeof Cardiology, the analysis also showed that COREG was associated with improved treatment rates among patients with heart failure, a condition often caused by hypertension and heart attacks that results in the heart failing to pump enough blood to the rest of the body.
OPTIMIZE-HF, funded by GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE: GSK), is the only hospital-based heart failure registry with 60-90 day follow-up data on this patient population, and is the second largest heart failure registry in the country.
Data were collected at 60 to 90 days following hospital discharge on patients with heart failure to measure the associations with clinical outcomes in eligible patients with left ventricular systolic dysfunction (LVSD) who received COREG prior to hospital discharge versus those eligible but who received no beta-blocker at discharge. Of the 2,720 pts with LVSD, 2,373 (87.2%) were eligible to receive a beta-blocker at discharge. Coreg was prescribed at discharge in 1,146 patients, 94.2 percent of whom remained on therapy for the duration of their follow-up period.
The analysis showed that patients prescribed Coreg at hospital discharge had a significantly decreased risk for death and death or re-hospitalization without early risk for re-current worsening heart failure.
“This analysis adds to the evidence supporting the benefits and tolerability of prescribing carvedilol at hospital discharge for patients admitted with heart failure,” said Gregg C. Fonarow, M.D., chairman of the OPTIMIZE-HF Committee and director of Ahmanson — UCLA Cardiomyopathy Center in Los Angeles. “Based on this analysis and earlier studies, carvedilol should be started when medically advisable at the time of hospital discharge in all eligible heart failure patients since the difference in survival and re-hospitalizations emerges in just weeks among patients who receive carvedilol as opposed to those who don’t have a beta-blocker added to their treatment regimen.”
A recent study published in Circulation, the Journal of the American Heart Association, found that the incidence of heart failure in the U.S.among older adults increased by epidemic proportion from the 1970s to the 1990s. The Circulation study concluded that, “To address this growing public health problem, in the short run, we need to strive for optimal provision of effective management for newly diagnosed heart failure to enhance survival and reduce hospitalizations.”
The use of COREGin patients with heart failure is supported by evidence-based guidelines, including the recently updated ACC/AHA Joint Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Chronic Heart Failure in the Adult.
About OPTIMIZE-HF
Funded by GlaxoSmithKline and launched in 2003, OPTIMIZE-HF is a national hospital-based heart failure care improvement program and Web-based registry aimed to improve patient outcomes by implementing evidence-based, guideline-driven heart failure management practices. The second largest heart failure quality of care program ever implemented and the only one with 60-90 day follow-up data, OPTIMIZE-HF further investigated barriers to the initiation and maintenance of evidence-based therapies among approximately 50,000 patients from all regions in the U.S. with a primary or secondary discharge diagnosis of heart failure. Approximately 270 hospitals worked collaboratively to measure and improve the management of patients with heart failure.
About Coreg
Coreg is marketed by GlaxoSmithKline in the United States and is the only beta-blocking agent FDA approved to improve survival in mild to severe heart failure and is the only beta-blocker approved for patients who suffered a heart attack that reduced how well the heart pumps.
Specific indications are:
Coreg is approved for the treatment of hypertension, which is also known as high blood pressure.
Coreg is approved to reduce the risk of death in patients who suffered a heart attack that reduced how well the heart pumps.
Coreg is approved to increase survival in mild to severe heart failure patients.
Important Safety Information
It is important for patients to take their medicine every day as directed by their doctors or health care providers. Patients taking Coreg should avoid stopping therapy abruptly. With certain beta-blocking agents, stopping therapy abruptly has led to chest pain and, in some cases, heart attack. If their doctor decides that they should stop taking Coreg , their doctor or health care provider may slowly reduce their doses over a period of time before stopping it completely.
Some common side effects associated with Coreg include shortness of breath, a slow heartbeat, weight gain, fatigue, hypotension, dizziness or faintness. People taking Coreg who have any of these symptoms should call their doctor. Additionally, if patients experience fatigue or dizziness, they should sit or lie down and avoid driving or hazardous tasks. Beta-blockers may mask the symptoms of low blood sugar or alter blood sugar levels. People with diabetes should report any changes in blood sugar levels to their physician. Contact lens wearers may produce fewer tears or have dry eyes. As with any medicine, patients taking Coreg should also first tell their doctor what other medications they are taking.
As with any medicine, there are some people who should not take Coreg . The people who should not take Coreg include those with severe heart failure who are hospitalized in the intensive care unit. Also, people who require certain intravenous medications that help support their circulation (inotropic medications) should not receive Coreg . Other people who should not take Coreg are those who are prone to asthma or other breathing problems, those with a very slow heartbeat or heart that skips a beat (irregular heartbeat) and those with liver problems. For more information on Coreg , visit www.coreg.com.
About Heart Failure
Heart failure is a progressive condition in which the heart muscle becomes weakened from conditions such as high blood pressure or an event such as a heart attack, and gradually loses the ability to pump enough blood to supply the body sufficiently. Heart failure is common but under-recognized and often misdiagnosed. Risk factors for heart failure include high blood pressure, prior heart attack, history of heart murmurs, enlarged heart, diabetes and family history of enlarged heart. Heart failure affects nearly five million Americans and 550,000 people are newly diagnosed with the condition each year. From 1990 to 1999, the number of hospitalizations for heart failure increased from 810,000 to over one million. Even though clinical guidelines recommend that all patients with stable heart failure be on beta-blocker therapy, many are not being treated with or discharged on a beta-blocker. This may lead to a significant number of unnecessary deaths and costly rehospitalizations for patients with heart failure.
About GlaxoSmithKline
GlaxoSmithKline — one of the world’s leading research-based pharmaceutical and healthcare companies — is committed to improving the quality of human life by enabling people to do more, feel better and live longer.

Customer information line: 1-888-825-5249



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