NitroMed to present further data showing BiDil helps African-Americans with heart failure

By Angela McDaniels

Seattle, Nov. 11 - NitroMed Inc. said it will present more evidence that its BiDil treatment produces benefits for African-Americans with heart failure.

The data will be presented as oral abstracts at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2005 in Dallas. It will include post-approval analyses of BiDil data from the company's African American Heart Failure Trial.

BiDil was approved in June by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of heart failure as an adjunct to current standard therapy in self-identified black patients, the company said.

The BiDil data to be presented further substantiate trial results, which the company said demonstrated that the patients taking BiDil had significantly improved survival, prolonged time to hospitalization for heart failure and substantial improvement in patient-reported functional status, versus patients who received placebo.

BiDil was launched commercially by NitroMed in July 2005. The FDA based the approval of BiDil primarily on results from the trial, which was halted early due to the significant survival benefit seen with the drug, the company said.

"As exemplified by our four oral abstract presentations at AHA, scientific and medical community interest in BiDil remains strong," NitroMed chief medical officer Manuel Worcel said in a company news release.

NitroMed of Lexington, Mass. is a pharmaceutical company that works to develop safer, more effective versions of existing drugs to treat underserved patient populations.

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