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Novartis announced findings from an analysis that showed Entresto (sacubitril/valsartan) improved 7 out of 10 types of physical and social activities for patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) within 8 months of initiating treatment, compared to enalapril. Full findings from the post-hoc analysis of PARADIGM-HF were presented at the Heart Failure Society of America (HFSA) 21st Annual Scientific Meeting, in Grapevine, Texas.
The effect of Entresto was evaluated on the following 10 components related to the specific physical and social limitations, as reported in the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ): dressing, showering, climbing a flight of stairs, walking 100 yards, visiting family or friends, jogging, gardening, hobbies, doing household chores, and intimate/sexual relationships.
Ninety-one percent of patients enrolled in PARADIGM-HF completed the KCCQ scores at randomization. The data showed treatment with Entresto improved almost all activities compared to enalapril, an ACE inhibitor. The most significant changes were seen in household chores and intimate/sexual relationships. In addition, improvements in physical and social activities were observed at the pre-specified 8 months and continued through 3 years.
The decline in Health-related quality of life (HRQL), as measured by the KCCQ clinical summary score, was less in Entresto-treated patients vs enalapril-treated patients (2.99 point decline vs 4.63 point decline).
Senior author, Scott Solomon, MD, from Brigham and Women’s Hospital, stated, “Our analysis showed that sacubitril/valsartan was superior to other treatments in helping patients to manage their everyday activities, including improving aspects of their social lives.” The authors also state that data from individual components “need to be interpreted cautiously.”
A separate study involving 200 patients with heart failure also reported benefits of Entresto on some commonly reported symptoms in HFrEF patients such as fatigue and shortness of breath within 4 months of starting therapy.
Entresto combines sacubitril, a neprilysin inhibitor, and valsartan, an angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB). It is available as 24/26mg, 49/51mg, and 97/103mg strengths tablets.
Reference
Entresto™ [package insert]. Basel, Switzerland: Novartis; 2015
This article originally appeared on MPR
