Vericiguat: First Approval
Anthony Markham1, Sean Duggan2
1Springer Nature, Mairangi Bay, Private Bag 65901, Auckland, 0754, New Zealand. dru@adis.com.
Abstract:
Vericiguat (VERQUVO™; Merck & Co, Bayer AG) is a soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC) stimulator being developed for the treatment of chronic heart failure. Vericiguat stimulates sGC and cGMP production independent of nitric oxide (NO) and enhances the effects of NO by stabilizing the NO-sGC binding. Based on the results of the phase III VICTORIA trial vericiguat was recently approved in the USA for risk reduction in patients with heart failure and ejection fraction < 45%. This article summarizes the milestones in the development of vericiguat leading to this first approval.
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