Roche halts carvedilol trial in heart failure

Hoffmann-La Roche has halted a trial of carvedilol to treatsevere heart failure a year early because of a significant survival benefit. The study included more than 2,200 patients and the data, which are not yet available, suggest the magnitude of benefit was larger than that seen in other heart failure survival trials to date, says Roche. The use of beta blockers was previously thought to be potentially dangerous in this patient cohort because they block the sympathetic nervous system. Roche says it will now pursue regulatory approvals of carvedilol in this expanded HF indication.