Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 26, 2026

Testing the Efficacy of Pharmacological Agents in a Pericardial Target Delivery Model in the Swine
Published on: July 7, 2016
Present and Future Options for Pharmacotherapy in Cardiovascular Disease: Hemodynamic and Mechanistic Therapeutic
Francesc Cabré1,2, Marta Cascante1,3,4
1Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biomedicine, University of Barcelona, 08028 Barcelona, Spain.
Insights
Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are a major health burden. This review synthesizes current and emerging pharmacological treatments for hypertension, heart failure, and arrhythmias, aiming to improve patient outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Pharmacology
- Cardiology
- Translational Medicine
Background:
- Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of global mortality.
- Optimal management of CVD risk factors and long-term outcomes remain challenging, especially with comorbidities.
- Existing therapies require optimization and innovation for better patient results.
Purpose of the Study:
- To provide a comprehensive review of pharmacological options for major cardiovascular diseases.
- To explore established and emerging therapies targeting hemodynamic, neurohormonal, and electrophysiological pathways.
- To examine the translational relevance of these therapies for pulmonary vascular disease (PVD) and individualized pharmacotherapy.
Main Methods:
- Narrative review synthesizing current literature on CVD pharmacotherapy.
- Focus on hypertension, heart failure, arrhythmias, and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
- Discussion of mechanisms of action, clinical evidence, safety, and guideline indications.
Main Results:
- Established therapies modulate vascular tone, neurohormonal axes, endothelial signaling, and myocardial function.
- Emerging agents target novel pathways including the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, endothelin, and SGLT2.
- Shared pathways between systemic CVD and PVD offer opportunities for innovative treatments.
Conclusions:
- Pharmacological innovation targeting shared vascular, metabolic, and neurohormonal pathways is crucial.
- Advancing individualized pharmacotherapy holds promise for improving outcomes in both systemic and pulmonary vascular diseases.
- Addressing unmet clinical needs in CVD management requires continued research and development.
Abstract:
Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) remain the leading global cause of morbidity and mortality, imposing an increasing clinical and socioeconomic burden. Despite significant therapeutic advances, optimal control of risk factors and long-term outcomes remain challenging, particularly in patients with complex comorbidities. This narrative review provides a comprehensive and up-to-date synthesis of pharmacological options across major cardiovascular domains, with a specific focus on hypertension, heart failure, arrhythmias, and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, conditions in which hemodynamic, neurohormonal, and electrophysiological pathways play central roles. We summarize mechanisms of action, clinical evidence, safety profiles, and guideline-based indications of established therapies, highlighting their relevance to vascular tone regulation, neurohormonal modulation, endothelial signaling, and myocardial function, the mechanistic axes that intersect with pathways implicated in pulmonary vascular disease (PVD). In addition, we discuss emerging therapeutic targets and innovative agents such as renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system silencers, endothelin pathway modulators, SGLT2 inhibitors, soluble guanylate cyclase stimulators, myosin inhibitors, and other mechanism-based approaches. Current challenges and unmet clinical needs are examined in the context of translational relevance for PVD and the broader goal of advancing individualized pharmacotherapy. Continued therapeutic innovation targeting shared vascular, metabolic, and neurohormonal pathways holds promise for improving outcomes across both systemic and pulmonary vascular diseases.
Related Concept Videos
Heart Failure Drugs: Inhibitors of Renin-Angiotensin System
Atherosclerosis III: Management
Heart Failure V: Medical Management
Cardiovascular Drugs: Classification based on Therapeutic Indications
Coronary Artery Disease V: Interprofessional Care
Pathophysiology of Cardiac Performance