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The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday approved a new heart failure drug from Novartis that has been shown to reduce death and hospitalizations from the condition. Excitement has been growing for the drug, known as Entresto, since the results of a large clinical trial were announced nearly a year ago showing a 20 percent reduction in the risk of death from cardiovascular causes or hospitalization for worsening heart failure. ... Novartis said Entresto would cost about $12.50 a day, or about $4,500 for a year, with two tablets taken daily. (Pollack, 7/7)

Government regulators have approved a new pill from Novartis to treat heart failure, a deadly chronic disease that affects millions of U.S. patients. The Food and Drug Administration approved the combination drug, Entresto, based on studies showing it reduced rates of heart-related death and hospitalization compared with older drugs. More than 5 million Americans and more than 25 million people worldwide have heart failure, a disease that causes the heart to gradually lose its pumping power. It kills up to half of patients within five years, despite numerous generic pills and other treatments available. (7/7)

The Food and Drug Administration approved a promising new heart-failure drug from Novartis AG that cardiologists say could potentially improve the lives of millions of patients with the condition. The drug, called Entresto, was studied in a clinical trial of more than 8,000 adults and—in a rare development—reduced the rate of cardiovascular death and hospitalization compared to a standard generic therapy, enalapril. (Burton and Loftus, 7/7)