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New pharmacotherapy for heart failure with reduced ejection fraction
Sara Sotirakos1, Peter Wheen1,2, James Spiers1
1School of Medicine, Trinity College Dublin , Dublin, Ireland.
Insights
New heart failure medications, sacubitril/valsartan (angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibitor) and dapagliflozin (SGLT2 inhibitor), significantly reduce mortality in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF).
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Pharmacology
- Internal Medicine
Background:
- Current heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) guidelines recommend ACE inhibitors/ARBs and Beta Blockers.
- Newer pharmacotherapies, including ARNI (sacubitril/valsartan) and SGLT2 inhibitors (dapagliflozin), offer improved outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the evidence for sacubitril/valsartan and dapagliflozin in HFrEF treatment.
- To analyze the impact of these novel therapies on mortality and disease modification.
Main Methods:
- Comprehensive literature review of sacubitril/valsartan and dapagliflozin in HFrEF.
- Searches conducted in NCBI and Google Scholar using relevant keywords.
- Examination of reference sections for additional relevant studies.
Main Results:
- Sacubitril/valsartan demonstrated benefits in mortality for HFrEF patients.
- Dapagliflozin also showed significant mortality benefits when added to existing therapies.
- Both agents represent advancements in HFrEF pharmacotherapy.
Conclusions:
- Sacubitril/valsartan and dapagliflozin are effective in reducing mortality in HFrEF.
- Further research is needed to fully elucidate their mechanisms of action in disease modification.
Introduction:
The European Society of Cardiology (ESC), Canadian Cardiovascular Society, and the American College of Cardiology Heart Failure (HF) guidelines all currently recommend the use of Angiotensin Converting Enzyme (ACE) inhibitors or Angiotensin Receptor Blockers (ARBs) and Beta Blockers (BB) in the treatment of HF with a reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). Newer medications targeting combining an ARB with a neprilysin inhibitor (ARNI) sacubitril/valsartan have shown benefits in mortality and can be used in place of an ACE inhibitor or an ARB. Additionally, dapagliflozin, a medication targeting the sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) can be used in addition to current therapies.
Areas Covered:
This review provides a comprehensive analysis of the evidence around the new pharmacotherapies for HFrEF, specifically, sacubitril/valsartan and dapagliflozin. A comprehensive review of the literature using keywords such as heart failure with reduced ejection fraction, angiotensin receptor, neprilysin inhibitor, and sodium glucose transporter was conducted within the National Centre for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) and Google Scholar databases. The reference sections of articles were also examined to find additional articles.
Expert Opinion:
Sacubitril/valsartan and dapagliflozin both show marked benefits on mortality in HFrEF patients. More research needs to be conducted on the mechanisms of action on disease modification.
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