New drug could save thousands

Thousands of lives could be saved by a new heart disease drug that health officials hope will become widely available on the NHS as early as next year.

Patients will have access to the cholesterol-lowering treatment inclisiran through aclinicaltrialstartingthisyear, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said.

The Government said it has reached an "in-principle" agreement with the manufacturer, the pharmaceutical company Novartis and NHS England will aim to agree a commercial deal, allowing the drug to be widely available.

Early results from clinical trials suggest that it could help prevent 55,000 heart attacks and strokes and save 30,000 lives in the next 10 years. This isbasedon300,000patientsreceivingthetreatmentannually.

The drug needs backing from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) and will be put through its approval programme "at the earliest opportunitypossible",theDHSCsaid.

HealthSecretaryMattHancocksaid:"AsHealthSecretary, I'm determined to find ways to save as many lives as possible, and to do my best to stop terrible conditions like heart disease from taking people from theirfamilyandfriendsfartoo soon.

"This partnership is fantastic news and is a huge stride forwards in helping to achieve this.Thiscollaborationhasthe potential to save 30,000 lives over the next 10 years and is proof that the UK continues to be the world-leading destination for revolutionary healthcare.”

Heart disease is the second biggest cause of death in the UK, with 2.5m people relying onstatinstolowercholesterol.