AstraZeneca's diabetes drug gets FDA nod to treat heart failure

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved AstraZeneca Plc's drug to reduce the risk of cardiovascular death and hospitalization for heart failure in certain patients, the drugmaker said on Wednesday.

The approval by the FDA was based on positive results from a late-stage trial, where the diabetes drug, Farxiga, achieved a statistically significant reduction in cardiovascular deaths or hospitalization for heart failure, compared with placebo.