[New pharmaceuticals in cardiology. Heart failure, anticoagulation, dyslipidemia]

Three innovative pharmaceuticals which might play an important role in the field of cardiology in the near future were recently tested in large clinical studies. Serelaxin, a vasoactive hormone peptide that is produced during pregnancy, reduces vessel resistance, increases cardiac output, and improves renal function. Lately, it was demonstrated that serelaxin significantly reduces congestion symptoms in patients with acute heart failure. As a secondary endpoint the mortality at day 180 was reduced. Therefore, serelaxin seems to be a promising new drug for the treatment of acute heart failure which might have a prognostic impact. Edoxaban is a selective factor Xa inhibitor, which inhibits thrombin production and thrombus formation. Two recently published studies reported that edoxaban is at least as effective as the vitamin K antagonist warfarin in prevention and treatment of venous thromboembolism and in the prevention of stroke and systemic embolism due to nonvalvular atrial fibrillation. Compared to warfarin, edoxaban significantly exhibited less frequent severe bleeding complications. Edoxaban will probably soon be the fourth new oral anticoagulant available for patients. The serine protease proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin 9 (PCSK9) reduces the ability of the liver to bind low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and to remove it from the circulation. Recently, a monoclonal antibody for PCSK9 was developed which induces a LDL-C plasma level reduction up to 73 % and also decreases lipoprotein(a) and apolipoprotein B. PCSK9 inhibition is a promising new mechanism for LDL-C reduction and the corresponding drug will be presumably approved soon by the regulatory authorities.