Vericiguat: A New Hope for Heart Failure Patients – 100% Overview
This article details the results of the VICTOR and VICTORIA studies regarding the drug vericiguat for treating heart failure. While the primary goal of reducing combined cardiovascular death or hospitalization wasn’t fully met, vericiguat demonstrated a important reduction in cardiovascular deaths and overall mortality compared to placebo.
Key Findings & How Vericiguat Works:
Joint Analysis (Poled Analysis): combining data from the VICTOR and VICTORIA studies (over 11,000 patients) showed vericiguat can reduce serious events – hospitalizations and cardiovascular deaths – across the entire spectrum of heart failure severity.
Mechanism of Action: vericiguat stimulates Soluble Guanylate Cyclase (SGC), an enzyme deficient in the hearts of heart failure patients due to low nitric oxide levels. This stimulation improves blood vessel functionality and helps the heart work more efficiently.
Broad-Spectrum Therapy: Unlike existing treatments (ARNI, antialdosteronics, beta-blockers, and glifozines) which target specific phases of the disease, vericiguat possibly offers therapy throughout the entire clinical course of heart failure.
Expert Outlook (Michele Senni):
Dr. Senni uses a film analogy to explain the impact. Current drugs address isolated “frames” (acute crises or stable phases). Vericiguat, however, aims to act throughout the entire “plot,” protecting patients in multiple phases and breaking the cycle of hospitalization and decline.
Impact & Prevalence in Italy:
Heart failure affects over one million people in Italy,with 90,000 new cases annually.
It’s the leading cause of hospitalization after age 65 and has a high mortality rate – over 50% of patients die within five years of diagnosis.
If confirmed by guidelines, vericiguat could significantly improve both quality of life and survival for these patients.
ASST Pope John XXIII’s Role:
The hospital’s Cardiovascular Department, led by Dr. Michele Senni, played a leading and coordinating role in the international trials.
The hospital emphasizes the importance of research in translating advancements into patient care and highlights its commitment to cardiovascular risk prevention through projects like Bimberg.
In essence, vericiguat represents a potentially significant advancement in heart failure treatment, offering a novel approach that addresses the disease across its entire progression, rather than focusing on isolated events. Further confirmation and guideline integration are needed to fully realize its impact.