Dead In The Water? Glaxo’s Fish Oil Pill And A-Fib
4 CommentsBy Ed Silverman // November 15th, 2010 // 12:49 pm
Earlier this year, GlaxoSmithKline began an ambitious campaign for Lovaza, the first prescription omega-3 fatty acid, which is actually made by Pronova Biopharma. With some $1 billion in global sales in 2009, including more than $750 million in the US, the drugmaker happily emphasized that ‘You can’t get it in a health food store’ (see the video). New study results, however, indicate it no one may care.
The study found that a high dose of Lovaza, also known as fish oil, does not prevent symptoms of atrial fibrillation, a common heart rhythm problem that can cause strokes. The trial, which was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, examined 663 patients who were given Lovaza or a placebo, along with beta blockers and ACE inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers, for six months. But Lovaza did not prevent atrial fibrillation from returning (see the study).
“This was a study that showed no benefit,” Robert Eckel, a professor of medicine at the University of Colorado and a past president of the American Heart Association who was not involved in the study, tells Reuters. “There has been some evidence that fish oil supplements may be beneficial because of their effect on abnormal cardiac rhythms. This study really challenges that view.”
One of the study researchers, Peter Kowey of the Lankenau Institute for Medical Research, told a briefing at the American Heart Association meeting taking place this week “the fact that this drug failed in this population makes it highly unlikely that you would be able to prove efficacy in other groups,” according to Reuters.
Indicated for reducing high triglycerides, the implication is that, rather than quickly expand Lovaza into a full-blown heart med, Glaxo will now have to struggle to expand beyond the health-store crowd. For its part, Glaxo says it will continue to review the data in the context of other studies, but conceded in this statement that, “in this patient population, there was clearly no benefit from Lovaza.”
Rich Meyer
Good story Ed. I am amazed that GSK tried to sell this an an Rx when it is available at every retail outlet. I don’t believe consumers are that dumb as to believe the GSK story of “purified” fish oil and a lot of insurers are not allowing it on their formularies
industry insider
The GSK story is attractive to consumers. Why? First of all, people are looking for a non-food source of fish oil since FDA restrictions on consumtion of tuna and other fish due to heavy metal deposits have forced consumers to look for sources of purified fish oil. Other health food store fish oils may claim to have as low content of heavy metals as Lovaza, but only GSK can promote this, and $1 billion in sales tells me that people are puttung their faith in the “trusted” brand because it is a prescription item.
EddieVos
Fish oil NEVER contains metals but doctors like to prescribe and fish oil pill companies need a leg up and any excuse to dish the competition will do. It’s like vodka: by law identical but the difference is in the water added and filtering used.
Consumer Reports some years ago looked at ~15 brands and they are all pure and contain the same. Go for cheap: it’s sustainable unlike fish itself.
About arrhythmia: it’s been known that fish oil’s cardiac benefit is not in that department but it’s the natural “antidote” to pro-clotting omega-6 based thromboxane.
Likely, it is the plant based omega-3 [flax, canola are excellent sources] that is the most anti-arrhythmic n-3 but definitive trials are not likely to be done since the world’s biggest hydrogenator and seller of junk omega-6 products, Unilever, prevented at least 1 such trial. Here’s a brilliant editorial:
http://circ.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/full/99/6/733
Shane
Hi, I just wanted to say this is an interesting and informative blog post. I stumbled onto your blog while searching for information on-line to help a client.
While taking fish oil has many health benefits we need to be leary whenever it’s positioned as a “fix” for any particular health issue. Atrial fibrillation is just one such issue.
You’ve got a lot of good content on this site. Thanks for sharing- Shane.