Heart attack victims to get new drug

HEART attack victims in South Yorkshire are among the first in the country to be given a new drug which it is claimed could significantly reduce fatalities.

By The Newsroom

Published 16th Feb 2012, 08:54 BST

Doctors in Sheffield carried out extensive trials on the drug ticagrelor which it is said could prevent one in five heart attack deaths.

The drug is not being widely used in the NHS amid concerns over its expense but NHS watchdogs have now ruled it is cost-effective.

Professor Robert Storey, of Sheffield University and director of the cardiology and cardiothoracic directorate at Sheffield’s hospitals, was part of an international panel that carried out a trial on more than 18,000 patients in more than 40 countries which found the drug was more effective in reducing death and recurrent heart attacks.

He said: “South Yorkshire is leading the way in adopting this novel treatment which has been shown to save lives compared to the standard treatment clopidogrel which is still widely used around the world.”