LONDON (Reuters) - AstraZeneca's blood-thinner Brilinta cuts the risk of cardiovascular death by 29 percent in patients with a history of past heart attacks who keep taking it beyond the standard 12-month initial period, according to new clinical trial data.
The findings, to be presented at the Aug. 26-30 European Society of Cardiology congress, are from a sub-analysis of the Pegasus clinical trial, which first reported positive results in 2015.
The trial studied subjects who had a heart attack within the past one to three years and was designed to prove the value of extended use of Brilinta, which is a key product for AstraZeneca.
The sub-analysis also showed a risk reduction of 20 percent in all causes of death, while bleeding rates were consistent with the drug's safety profile, AstraZeneca said on Thursday.
(Reporting by Ben Hirschler, editing by David Evans)
