- A clinical trial funded by the National Institute of Health (NIH) revealed there is no significant difference in the effectiveness of furosemide and torsemide, two heart failure drugs, when it comes to patient survival times.
- Despite furosemide being the loop diuretic that is most frequently used in heart failure patients, some studies had indicated that torsemide may be more effective.
- Now, this new trial, which is one of the biggest investigations of common medications for heart failure, tries to settle the debate about which drug is better for patients with heart failure who face a heightened risk of mortality.
Heart failure is when the heart struggles to pump sufficient blood throughout the body.
There are currently more than
That number is expected to rise to more than
Previous research has shown that the medication torsemide potentially had an edge over furosemide in decreasing heart failure-related fatalities, but this issue had yet to be definitively settled.
Now, results from a new clinical trial not only offer immediate clinical implications but also emphasize the urgent need for more effective, life-saving treatments for people with heart failure.
Funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) within NIH,
As diuretics or “water pills,” both torsemide and furosemide help alleviate congestion and respiratory issues caused by fluid accumulation.
Furosemide, discovered decades ago, remains the most commonly prescribed diuretic for heart failure treatment, while torsemide is a relatively newer medication.
In the study, scientists looked at 2,859 people who were admitted to hospitals for heart failure at 60 different medical centers throughout the United States.
The researchers randomly placed these patients on…
Read the full article here