Abstract
Purpose of review
Compared to enalapril, use of angiotensin-receptor blocker and neprilysin inhibitor sacubitril/valsartan to treat patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) is associated with substantial reductions in both cardiovascular mortality and heart failure progression. The purpose of this review is to discuss the real-world experience of sacubitril/valsartan.
Recent findings
In the years following the publication of the landmark PARADIGM-HF trial in 2014 and its subsequent FDA approval, a growing evidence base supports the safety and efficacy of sacubitril/valsartan in a broad spectrum of patients with HFrEF. Updated clinical practice guidelines have embraced the use of sacubitril/valsartan in preference to ACE inhibitors or ARBs in selected patients.
Summary
In this review, we highlight the clinical trials that led to these key updates to clinical guidelines, offer practical strategies for patient selection and utilization in clinical practice, and identify important areas of uncertainty that require future research.
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References and Recommended Reading
Papers of particular interest, published recently, have been highlighted as: • Of importance •• Of major importance
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• Solomon SD, Claggett B, Packer M, Desai A, Zile MR, Swedberg K, et al. Efficacy of sacubitril/valsartan relative to a prior decompensation: the PARADIGM-HF trial. JACC Heart Fail. 2016;4(10):816–22. This secondary analysis of PARADIGM-HF found that 20% of patients who had never been hospitalized for heart failure prior to enrollment experienced the primary endpoint of cardiovascular death or heart failure hospitalization during the trial. The benefit of sacubitril-valsartan vs. enalapril was consistent regardless of recent clinical stability.
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Joanna M. Joly declares no potential conflicts of interest.
Akshay S. Desai reports grant support and personal fees from Novartis. Dr. Desai reports personal fees from Abbott, AstraZeneca, Relypsa, and DalCor Pharma.
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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Heart Failure
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Joly, J.M., Desai, A.S. Sacubitril/Valsartan: From Clinical Trials to Real-world Experience. Curr Treat Options Cardio Med 20, 45 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11936-018-0638-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11936-018-0638-7