New heart drug helps symptoms, not survival
NEW ORLEANS -- An experimental drug is the first to substantially and safely improve shortness of breath and other symptoms in people hospitalized with severe heart failure, an epidemic that is growing as baby boomers age, doctors reported yesterday.
However, many were disappointed that the drug also did not help people live longer or stay out of the hospital.
The study was led by Dr. Marvin Konstam of Tufts-New England Medical Center and presented at an American College of Cardiology conference. Results also were published online by the Journal of the American Medical Association and will be in its March 28 issue.
Heart failure occurs when the heart muscle weakens over time and can no longer pump effectively. Fluid can back up into the lungs and leave people panicked and gasping for breath.
About 5 million Americans have the condition. It kills more than 300,000 and accounts for a million hospitalizations each year.
Severely ill heart failure patients need to shed water, but current treatments either do not cause this fast enough or lead to kidney damage or loss of essential body salts called electrolytes.
The new drug, tolvaptan, is a first-of-its-kind medication that blocks a hormone responsible for fluid retention.
It was tested on 4,133 severely ill patients throughout North and South America and Europe. Ten months later, the drug made no difference in the rate of death or rehospitalization -- a big disappointment. But it significantly improved breathing and reduced swelling and weight because it promoted so much fluid loss. 