London: Researchers at London-based Royal Brompton Hospital have discovered a blood pressure drug -Perindopril - that can prevent or even reduce chances of death in patients previously afflicted by angina-related ailments.

Presenting their findings to the European Society of Cardiology in Vienna, Austria, Professor Kim Fox and his colleagues said they used Perindopril in over 12,000 patients from 24 European countries, and found that the drug effectively reduced chances of deaths in those who had suffered angina or previous heart attacks.

Perindopril belongs to a class of drugs called ACE inhibitors, which work by blocking the production of angiotensin II, a protein, which makes blood vessels constrict.

The BBC quoted Fox as saying that the risk of death was cut by 11 percent in the group taking perindopril. This group also saw a 24 percent reduction in heart attacks and a 39 percent reduction in heart failure cases in the patients living with stable heart disease.

The risk reduction was seen in all patient, all age groups, whether or not they had conditions such as high blood pressure or diabetes, Fox and his colleagues said, while adding that the drug should only be given as a preventive treatment.

The drug not only reduces the risk of further attacks, but chances of strokes as well, the study said. "Coronary disease is the most common type of heart disease and accounts for almost one third of all deaths, which is approximately 16 million deaths every year worldwide. Perindopril added to standard optimal therapy over a four-year period would stop 100,000 heart attacks or cardiovascular deaths in a country with a population of 60 million," Fox told BBC Online.

This is a major step forward and will have implications in the future management of coronary disease, he added.

"Whereas the drug had been used just in heart failure, it will be used in all people with heart problems. This means that it will be able to help people who have had angina, angioplasty and any bypass surgery. It is an enormous benefit. If you are talking about aspirins and statins being the biggest drug advances, then this is probably the next big one."

"This will make a further improvement in terms of the government reaching their targets they will probably overachieve when this is used. The savings will be enormous," Fox claimed.

ANI