Acute heart failure drug trial presents mixed findings

New research on the experimental drug ularitide, which is designed to decrease adverse effects of acute heart failure, has left cardiologists deciphering findings that are simultaneously disappointing and encouraging.

The findings were presented this week at the American Heart Association (AHA)'s Scientific Sessions. Ularitide is a synthetic form of a natriuretic peptide, a protein that regulates how much sodium is in urine.

It was designed to help patients live longer prior to hospitalizations while reducing the number of times a patient is re-hospitalized. The drug was given to patients 12 hours before being hospitalized, but results showed that it only helped patients during the two days it was being administered.

Despite not providing long-term effects, the drug did lower blood pressure, stress and dropped the rate of the likelihood of heart failure in the hospital.

Though the drug isn’t working exactly how researchers would have liked, Clyde Yancy, MD, chief of cardiology at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, said in an AHA statement that there are still positive findings to be taken away from the research.

“At first glance, we might say this is a negative trial, but I would put a pause button on that,” Yancy said. “It’s reassuring that ultimately what we need to do for heart failure patients is to provide best care. As we continue this pursuit of targeted therapies for acute decompensated heart failure and not finding those, maybe we have to search for new targets or realize that this is all within the continuum of heart failure.”