[메디칼업저버 양영구 기자] With the rapid aging of the Korean population, the number of heart failure patients, which was only 0.77% in 2002, is expected to increase to 3.35% by 2040.
Heart failure is a disease in which the heart does not supply enough blood required by the body through systemic circulation, which causes weakness, and is called the final complication of cardiovascular disease.
Although symptoms are usually relieved by medication, in many cases heart function does not normalize and continues to deteriorate. Exacerbated heart failure is not only the leading cause of hospitalization in the elderly, but also increases the risk of readmission and death.
In fact, 56% of patients who experience exacerbation of heart failure are readmitted within 30 days, and 1 in 5 patients die within 2 years.
Although conventional drugs, ARNi, and SGLT-2 inhibitors are being used in the clinic, chronic heart failure has a high risk of readmission and death, requiring a new treatment option.
In the midst of this, Bayer’s new mechanism for chronic heart failure treatment Vercubo (ingredient name Versiguat) obtained domestic approval and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) less than 45% Symptomatic chronic heart failure that experienced hospitalization for heart failure or administration of outpatient intravenous diuretics It is attracting attention as a patient treatment option.
Vercuvo is the first in a class of water-soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC) promoters that promote the synthesis of intracellular cyclic monophosphate guanoic acid (cGMP) for the treatment of chronic heart failure.
Unlike the existing ACE inhibitors or beta blockers, which inhibit the activation of the neuro-hormonal system, which are activated due to myocardial and vascular dysfunction, this method improves myocardial and blood vessel functions by directly stimulating sGC to promote cGMP synthesis.
Based on this new mechanism, Vercubo confirmed a high therapeutic effect in the high-risk group, which had no effect when using existing treatments.
According to the results of the VICTORIA study of 5050 adult patients with symptomatic chronic heart failure and an LVEF of less than 45% after exacerbation of a heart failure event, the risk of cardiovascular death or first hospitalization for heart failure for 10.8 months (median) was 10 times greater than in the placebo group. % lower (HR 0.90; 95% CI 0.82 to 0.98; p=0.02).
Bercobo showed an annual absolute risk reduction rate of 4.2%, and the annual absolute risk reduction rate of hospitalization for heart failure was 3.2%.
In addition, in the results of a comprehensive evaluation of all-cause death or hospitalization for heart failure, the risk reduced by 10% in the Vercubo group compared to the placebo group.
In terms of safety, in the case of symptomatic hypotension, 9.1% in the Vercubo group and 7.9% in the placebo group were reported, but the overall incidence of adverse events was similar between the two groups.
Based on this, the European Heart Association (ESC) recommended that Vercubo be considered in NYHA Class II-IV patients with worsening heart failure despite treatment with ACE inhibitors, beta-blockers, and MRA in the chronic heart failure guidelines published last year.
On the other hand, Bayer Korea plans to make efforts to improve the awareness of the disease and expand the accessibility of Vercubo so that high-risk chronic heart failure patients in Korea can receive optimal treatment.
