Treatment with dapagliflozin improves the symptoms of patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), according to new findings presented at the Heart Failure Society of America's Annual Scientific Meeting.
The PRESERVED-HF trial tracked more than 300 HFpEF patients from 26 different clinical trial sites throughout the United States. While 57% of participants were women, more than 30% were Black.
Participants either took 10 mg of dapagliflozin, an SGLT2 inhibitor, or a placebo for 12 weeks. Researchers examined the medication’s impact on each patient’s Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire clinical summary score (KCCQ-CS) and six-minute walking distance.
Overall, treatment with dapagliflozin was associated with a change in KCCQ-CS of 5.8 points, a different believed to be both clinically meaningful and statistically significant. The medication also helped patients improve their six-minute walking distance, researchers reported.
“To our knowledge, PRESERVED-HF is the first trial to show compelling benefits of SGLT2 inhibitors on both patient-reported symptoms and physical limitations, as well as objectively measured physical function in individuals with HFpEF—outcomes of great importance to both patients and clinicians,” Mikhail Kosiborod, MD, a cardiologist at Saint Luke’s Mid America Heart Institute in Kansas City, Missouri, said in a prepared statement. “It is especially meaningful for this disease condition, as HFpEF has been called the ‘black hole’ of cardiology because until now we have not been able to find efficacious, disease modifying treatments.”
Reviewing his team’s findings, Kosiborod described dapagliflozin as “an important new treatment option for HFpEF.”
“This is great news for patients and clinicians,” he added. “As a cardiologist and researcher, I am excited about the potential impact of PRESERVED-HF data on the management of this patient population.”
Dapagliflozin, known primarily as an effective treatment for Type 2 diabetes, is manufactured by AstraZeneca under the name Farxiga. Read about additional research into its potential as a heart failure treatment here.
Michael has more than 16 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.