A drug commonly used to treat kidney cancer could be offered to people who have suffered heart attacks.

Researchers have discovered that treating victims with aldesleukin dramatically reduced inflammation in their arteries.

It is a normal part of the body’s immune response to injury or infection but it has been linked to an increased risk of heart ­disease and attacks.

Professor Ziad Mallat, an professor of ­cardiovascular medicine at the University of Cambridge, which led the study, said: “We associate inflammation with healing – an ­in-built response that protects us from infection and injury.

“But it’s now clear inflammation is a culprit in many cardiovascular conditions. Early signs from our ongoing trial suggest people treated with aldesleukin may have better long-term outcomes, including fewer heart attacks. If these findings are repeated in a larger trial, we’re hopeful aldesleukin could become part of routine care after a heart attack.”

In high doses, the drug stimulates the immune system to attack kidney tumour cells. In the latest trial, 60 patients who had been admitted to hospital with a heart attack or unstable angina were given either a low dose or a placebo. The drug was administered via injection once a day for five days, then once a week for seven weeks.

At the end of treatment, scans showed that patients taking the drug saw inflammation levels drop by 7.7 per cent more than those given a placebo, with a fall of 8.3 per cent in the most inflamed arteries.

Researchers are now following up with patients to examine the long-term impact.

To date, there have been no major negative effects two-and-a-half years after treatment.

As aldesleukin is already approved for cancer, it could receive the green light much sooner than a new drug and be in use within the next five years. Consultant cardiologist Dr Sonya Babu-Narayan, associate medical director at the British Heart Foundation, which helped fund the study, said: “Thanks to research, we have an array of effective treatments to help people avoid heart attacks and strokes, and so save lives.

“But, even after successful treatment, unwanted inflammation in the coronary arteries can remain, which can lead to life-threatening complications.

“A treatment to reduce inflammation after a heart attack could be a game-changer.

“This research is an important step towards that treatment becoming a reality.”

The findings were presented at the European Society of Cardiology Congress in London this weekend.