ILoVeNY25
Well-known member
Came across this on AOL Health and thought I'd share. I was on Vasotec for years before my surgery...
Study: New Drug Aces Heart Failure Challenge
By Jennifer Warner
WebMD Medical News
(July 30) -- A dual-action drug may soon challenge ACE inhibitors as the medication of choice for treating some people with heart failure. A new study shows the experimental drug omapatrilat was just as good -- and perhaps even slightly better -- than the ACE inhibitor Vasotec in reducing the risk of death or hospitalization for these patients.
ACE inhibitors, such as Vasotec, Zestril, and Altace, have become increasingly popular in recent years as an inexpensive means to lower blood pressure and treat heart failure with relatively few side effects. They work by inhibiting the action of the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE), which causes blood vessels to constrict and interfere with blood flow.
But omapatrilat is a new type of dual-action drug that inhibits ACE as well as another enzyme (neutral endopeptidase or NEP) that helps blood vessels relax.
In the study, researchers compared the effects of the two drugs in a group of 5,770 patients with heart failure for about 15 months. These patients ranged in severity of heart failure from those who had minimal symptoms to those with moderate to severe shortness of breath with walking or had symptoms at rest.
By the end of the study, 973 of the patients who received Vasotec had either died or been hospitalized because of complications from heart failure, compared with 914 of those who took omapatrilat. That translates to a 6% reduction in the risk of death for those using omapatrilat.
Researchers say those findings show that omapatrilat is as effective, but not necessarily superior to Vasotec, in reducing risks in people with heart failure.
But when researchers analyzed their results further and applied a broader definition of heart failure or focused on all heart-related complications, they found omapatrilat had a slight advantage over the ACE inhibitor alone.
"The trial shows that omapatrilat is effective in treating heart failure," says lead researcher Milton Packer, MD, of Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, in a news release. "And we have some indications that omapatrilat may be superior to a standard ACE inhibitor in some individuals."
Packer says the study suggests that this drug may have a special role in treating people who have both high blood pressure and heart failure, and he says more research is needed in this area.
Although both drugs were generally well tolerated in the study, patients in the omapatrilat group were more likely to experience dizziness and low blood pressure. Patients in the Vasotec group were more likely to experience worsening heart function and kidney problems.
The complete study appears in today's issue of Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.
A study released earlier this year also found omapatrilat was more effective than Vasotec in reducing blood vessel stiffness, a major risk factor for heart attacks, stroke, and other problems in people with high blood pressure.
Reviewed By Charlotte Grayson, MD
© 2002 WebMD Inc. All rights reserved.
Study: New Drug Aces Heart Failure Challenge
By Jennifer Warner
WebMD Medical News
(July 30) -- A dual-action drug may soon challenge ACE inhibitors as the medication of choice for treating some people with heart failure. A new study shows the experimental drug omapatrilat was just as good -- and perhaps even slightly better -- than the ACE inhibitor Vasotec in reducing the risk of death or hospitalization for these patients.
ACE inhibitors, such as Vasotec, Zestril, and Altace, have become increasingly popular in recent years as an inexpensive means to lower blood pressure and treat heart failure with relatively few side effects. They work by inhibiting the action of the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE), which causes blood vessels to constrict and interfere with blood flow.
But omapatrilat is a new type of dual-action drug that inhibits ACE as well as another enzyme (neutral endopeptidase or NEP) that helps blood vessels relax.
In the study, researchers compared the effects of the two drugs in a group of 5,770 patients with heart failure for about 15 months. These patients ranged in severity of heart failure from those who had minimal symptoms to those with moderate to severe shortness of breath with walking or had symptoms at rest.
By the end of the study, 973 of the patients who received Vasotec had either died or been hospitalized because of complications from heart failure, compared with 914 of those who took omapatrilat. That translates to a 6% reduction in the risk of death for those using omapatrilat.
Researchers say those findings show that omapatrilat is as effective, but not necessarily superior to Vasotec, in reducing risks in people with heart failure.
But when researchers analyzed their results further and applied a broader definition of heart failure or focused on all heart-related complications, they found omapatrilat had a slight advantage over the ACE inhibitor alone.
"The trial shows that omapatrilat is effective in treating heart failure," says lead researcher Milton Packer, MD, of Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, in a news release. "And we have some indications that omapatrilat may be superior to a standard ACE inhibitor in some individuals."
Packer says the study suggests that this drug may have a special role in treating people who have both high blood pressure and heart failure, and he says more research is needed in this area.
Although both drugs were generally well tolerated in the study, patients in the omapatrilat group were more likely to experience dizziness and low blood pressure. Patients in the Vasotec group were more likely to experience worsening heart function and kidney problems.
The complete study appears in today's issue of Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.
A study released earlier this year also found omapatrilat was more effective than Vasotec in reducing blood vessel stiffness, a major risk factor for heart attacks, stroke, and other problems in people with high blood pressure.
Reviewed By Charlotte Grayson, MD
© 2002 WebMD Inc. All rights reserved.
