University
of Hull have designed a new class of drug for heart failure treatment which
has shown positive results during phase II of the clinical trial
conducted by the university.
Omecamtiv mercabil is the first in a new class of drugs called cardiac myosin activators, which work in a different way to existing heart failure therapies.Rather than making the heart beat more often, the drug makes the heart muscles contract for longer, thereby increasing the volume of blood pumped with each stroke.It does this by extending the interaction between the proteins that cause muscle contraction, myosin and actin, thereby prolonging the contraction of the heart's left ventricle.
Professor John Cleland, from the University of Hull, said: 'The trial proves that the drug can be given safely to patients suffering from heart failure and shows that, at the correct doses and blood plasma concentrations, it can improve heart function and make the heart contract more effectively.'
The clinical trial involved 45 heart failure patients and is published in the Lancet medical journal.
Natasha Stewart, senior cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation, welcomed the trial results, but emphasised that more research is needed.
She said: 'Although there were minimal adverse effec
ts
identified in these initial trials, only a small number of participants over a
short period of time were involved.
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