SINGAPORE : A new drug that promises to lower the heartbeat rate of heart disease patients without much side effects is now available in Singapore.
When chest pains occur, it is usually when the heart is deprived of adequate blood supply. Angina, a classic symptom of coronary artery disease and sometimes a sign that a heart attack is near, is a condition that affects about 100,000 people in Singapore.
Currently, there are prescribed drugs called beta-blockers. But about 10% of patients are not able to tolerate these drugs due to side effects like fatigue, impotence and reduced blood pressure.
In an overseas study of about 5,000 patients conducted from 2005-2007, a new drug - Coralan - was found to reduce angina attacks by 70 per cent without the side effects, except for minor ones like visual flashes.
Associate Professor Koh Tian Hai, medical director at National Heart Centre, said: "Coralan appears equally effective and it has less side effects than beta-blockers.
"So we would think that Coralan may be used on patients who develop side effects from beta-blockers or who cannot tolerate beta-blockers for some reason or other. For example, if they have asthma, beta-blockers will exacerbate asthma and this is where Coralan may be used."
The drug is already approved by the Health Sciences Authority, but doctors said that it will not be the first line of drugs for heart patients, especially as it costs about S$2 per tablet as compared to just a few cents for other tried and tested medicine.
A bigger study on the efficacy of Coralan is currently being carried out. It involves more than 10,000 heart patients from 33 countries, and the results are expected to be out at the end of August. Doctors said the results will show whether Coralan can replace existing drugs to treat heart patients.
In Singapore, coronary heart disease is the second biggest killer, next to cancer. - CNA /ls