Intravenous administration of the drug tezosentan did not improve worsening heart failure or prevent death in patients with acute heart failure despite high hopes. The above fact was found out in the largest international trial on acute heart failure to date. The study was conducted to evaluate if something more could be done for acute heart failure patients in order to speed up hospital discharge and prevent them from coming back.
More than 1,400 acute heart failure patients received either IV administration of the endothelin receptor antagonist called tezosentan or a placebo, plus conventional therapy. Endothelin-1 is a potent vasoconstrictor produced in the blood vessels and other tissues. Its presence is a strong predictor of mortality in acute heart failure.No difference in dyspnea, or a significant breathing problem, for the two groups of hospitalized patients over 24 hours. After a week, there was also no difference between the placebo group and group receiving tezosentan in incidence of death or worsening of heart failure. After six months, no difference was observed in overall mortality.
