UAE heart patients receive top treatment

Manufactured by Swiss drug giant, Novartis, Valsartan is the No.1 selling high blood pressure drug in the world, approved by the US FDA and the European Medicines Agency for treatment of hypertension and congestive heart failure, and post-myocardial infarction .

Dr. Wael Al Mahmeed, Consultant Cardiologist and President of Emirates Cardiac Society said: "In a worldwide medical study conducted on 4,395 patients with Heart Failure and high blood pressure, Valsartan showed a reduction in combined morbidity and mortality for these patients, as well as decreased levels of atrial fibrillation (AF) by 37%, compared to another group which was not given the drug."

Dr. Al Mahmeed also highlighted the importance of medical research in this field and that patients and doctors should not jump to conclusions with regards to new data without studying the clinical trials carefully.

When asked about a recent article published in a local newspaper mentioning a study on the use of Valsartan, Dr. Azzan BinBrek, Consultant Cardiologist and Head of Cardiology at Rashid Hospital in Dubai, said that the author was rather unsuccessful in his findings, and stated that the article contains incorrect information resulting from a lack of scientific analysis by specialized physicians, and without reference to the sources which conducted the analysis.

Dr. BinBrek added that Valsartan is a leading treatment for hypertension and in an international study conducted on 13,760 patients observed closely for more than four years, Valsartan demonstrated its effectiveness by reducing the risk of developing sustained new onset AF in hypertensive patients with cardiovascular risk .

It has been scientifically proven that Valsartan has several medical advantages in addition to its use to treat high blood pressure. Valsartan also helps to reduce the new onset of diabetes and reduces chances of strokes for high blood pressure patients with coronary heart disease and Heart failure or the combination of these disorders.