Swiss approval for Rasilez HCT
This article was originally published in Scrip
Executive Summary
Novartishas received Swiss approval for Rasilez HCT, a single pill combination of its direct renin inhibitor aliskiren and the diuretic hydrochlorothiazide, for the treatment of hypertension. The combination was first approved in the US as Tekturna HCT in January (Scrip Online, January 21st, 2008) and is also awaiting approval in the EU (expected early next year) and many other markets. Aliskiren has been available as a single agent for treating high blood pressure as a monotherapy or in combination with other antihypertensive drugs since 2007. Many patients require two or more therapies to reach their treatment goals, and the new product should help reduce the pill burden.