Jakarta (ANTARA) – In the midst of commemoration of World Heart Day 2020, there is the latest news about anti-diabetic drugs that have the opportunity to reduce the morbidity and mortality rates for heart failure patients.
Health expert from the Faculty of Medicine, Udayana University, Prof. Ketut Suastika said this drug comes from the SGLT2 group, namely Empagliflozin which works to remove excess salt through the kidneys, while improving blood pressure, reducing obesity and suppressing inflammation.
“All of these contribute to the improvement of symptoms of heart failure, both in diabetic and non-diabetic patients,” said Suastika in a written statement, Tuesday.
A recent Boehringer Ingelheim EMPEROR-Reduced Phase III clinical trial demonstrated a 25 percent reduction in hospitalizations for heart failure patients with and without type 2 diabetes given Empagliflozin. These results are similar to those of the EMPA-REG OUTCOME clinical trial.
“With the positive results of this EMPEROR-Reduced trial, we are excited to mark another important advance for Jardiance (Empagliflozin),” said vice president, Clinical Development & Medical Affairs, Cardio-Metabolism & Respiratory Medicine, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc, Mohamed. Eid in a statement as quoted from The American Journal of Managed Care.
Responding to these findings, a specialist in heart and blood vessels, Siti Elkana Nauli, said that she did not know how SGLT2 could inhibit the process of heart failure.
Although it offers opportunities for cardiovascular indications, currently the anti-diabetic drug Empagliflozin has not been indicated for the treatment of heart failure because it needs approval from local authorities, including in Indonesia.
Previously, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in May approved another diabetes drug, dapagliflozin (Farxiga, AstraZeneca) to treat heart failure by reducing the ejection fraction (HFrEF) in adults with and without type-2 diabetes. This drug also lowers the risk of death and hospitalization from heart failure.
Heart failure occurs when the heart’s function in pumping blood does not work optimally. The blood that is pumped is no longer able to meet the needs of all body tissues. As a result, complaints arise in sufferers such as fatigue and shortness of breath during activities. The severity of these symptoms depends on the stage of heart failure that occurs.
Research by the association of heart and blood vessel specialists in Indonesia through the registry of heart patient data from 2017 to the present shows, of around 2000 heart failure patients, the most common causes are hypertension, coronary heart disease and diabetes.
In terms of morbidity, heart failure patients are said to have high morbidity and mortality rates. Siti said the patient’s life expectancy for five years was only around 50 percent.
“The life expectancy for five years is only about 50 percent. For hospitalized patients, the death rate is even higher, namely 17-20 percent will die within 30 days of being treated,” said Siti.
The cost of treating and treating heart failure patients is very high, in part because they have to be hospitalized repeatedly when symptoms worsen.
“The more often patients are hospitalized, the treatment becomes more difficult and there will be more complications. Even patients can be resistant to treatment and eventually fall into the final stage of heart failure, “said dr. Siti.
Therefore, according to Siti, controlling these risk factors through the selection of appropriate and aggressive therapies is necessary to prevent heart failure.
On the other hand, aggressive therapy with the aim of improving the quality of life will prevent recurrent hospitalization.
Currently, standard therapy for heart failure includes medications, implantation of the heart and heart transplant.
Also read: Herbal medicine can be an alternative treatment for diabetes during a pandemic
Also read: British company trials diabetes drugs for COVID-19 patients
Also read: Examining the root of wood for diabetes medicine, MTsN Kotim student drove to Turkey
Reporter: Lia Wanadriani Santosa
Editor: Ida Nurcahyani
COPYRIGHT © BETWEEN 2020
–
