Stating that the anti-anginal medication ranolazine has shown some promise in the treatment of acute coronary syndromes (ACS), a team of scientists associated with the MERLIN (Metabolic Efficiency With Ranolazine for Less Ischemia in Non-ST-Elevation Acute Coronary Syndromes)-TIMI 36 trial revealed that it failed to prevent or reduce the risk of heart attack, recurrent ischemia or death.
Led by Dr David Morrow, of the Harvard Medical School, the study says that ranolazine can be used as an effective anti-anginal but additional safety information will have to be provided before its use in patients suffering from coronary artery disease.
The MERLIN-TIMI 36 trial involved over 6,500 participants from 17 countries. The study was funded by CV Therapeutics, makers of ranolazine. The study was conducted by Dr Morrow and his colleagues in order to ascertain the safety and efficacy of the drug in the reduction of cardiovascular events such as death, heart attack or recurrent ischemia in patients suffering from moderate- to high-risk non-ST-elevation ACS.
Though there were no evidence that ranolazine reduces the risk of cardiovascular events, researchers found that the drug was useful in reducing patient angina by 23 percent and patients could very easily cut back on 17 percent of other medications taken. Angina is a discomfort experienced in the chest due to inadequate supply of blood to the heart muscles.
In the report that has been published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers write, "The results of this trial do not support the use of ranolazine for acute management of ACS or as disease-modifying therapy for secondary prevention of cardiovascular death or [heart attack]. However, our findings suggest a benefit of ranolazine as anti-anginal therapy in a substantially more broad population of patients with established ischemic heart disease than previously studied."
Researchers added that ranolazine can be safely used as an anti-anginal therapy in patients with angina. "These findings, together with the observed favorable overall profile of safety, provide additional evidence to guide the use of ranolazine as anti-anginal therapy in patients with chronic angina", they concluded.
