Amgen says Aranesp may provide clinical benefits in heart failure patients

By Elaine Rigoli

Tampa, Fla., March 13 - Amgen announced results from a phase 2 study that showed that treating anemia with Aranesp in patients with symptomatic heart failure was well-tolerated, effectively raised hemoglobin and improved patients' symptoms as measured by the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire.

Based on the evaluation results and observational studies, Amgen said it has begun the phase 3 Red-Hf trial, a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter, multinational trial that will evaluate the effect of treatment of anemia with Aranesp on morbidity and mortality in patients with symptomatic heart failure.

"Despite medical advances, heart failure and its complications are a leading cause of death and hospitalization worldwide, and there remains a significant unmet medical need for effective treatments for these patients," said Willard Dere, Amgen's senior vice president for global development and chief medical officer, in a statement.

"Amgen is committed to investigating Aranesp's potential to help heart failure patients who also suffer from anemia through the Red-Hf trial."

Amgen is an Atlanta-based biotechnology company that discovers, develops and delivers innovative human therapeutics.

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