VALIANT Enrollment Complete With Over 14,500 Patients - Largest Study of an ARB in Long-Term Survival After Heart Attack -.

EAST HANOVER, N.J., June 27 /PRNewswire/ --

Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation today announced that enrollment was complete for the Valsartan In Acute Myocardial Infarction Trial (VALIANT) with the angiotensin II receptor blocker (ARB) Diovan(R) (valsartan). With more than 14,500 patients at 950 sites in 24 countries, VALIANT is the largest survival study of an ARB in patients who have experienced myocardial infarction (MI), or heart attack and is just one of several large mortality and morbidity trials to investigate the benefits of Diovan beyond hypertension. Diovan is indicated for first-line treatment of high blood pressure and is the fastest growing top 10 branded prescription antihypertensive in the US today.

"Even with current therapy, heart attack survivors remain at high risk for recurrent heart attacks, disability and death. If successful in demonstrating improvements over current therapy,…