ZURICH, Dec 20 - Swiss drugmaker Novartis said it was ending a study of a drug to treat high blood pressure after an independent body said it could increase risk to patients with a high risk of heart or kidney problems.
Novartis said on Tuesday sales of the drug, known as Rasilez in the European Union and Tekturna in the United States, could be hit.
It had total sales of $449 million, or 1 percent of group sales, in the first nine months.
The Data Montioring Committee said the ALTITUDE study showed high-risk patients were unlikely to benefit from treatment with the drug in combination with standard blood pressure treatments.
The DMC said the trial also showed high-risk patients receiving combination treatment were more prone to non-fatal strokes and other complications.
Novartis, the maker of high blood pressure drug Diovan, said it was recommending the removal of Rasilez/Tekturna-based products from patients' treatment and a review their high blood pressure medication.
The company is also reviewing the findings with DMCs of other clinical studies involving Rasilez/Tekturna-based products and combination therapies.
(Reporting by Martin de Sa'Pinto; Editing by Dan Lalor)
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