Vericiguat is a soluble guanylate cyclase stimulator that increases the activity of cyclic guanosine monophosphate in several ways, potentiating the beneficial effects of nitric oxide on the pulmonary artery, causing vasodilation. It is a new drug for the treatment of heart failure and has received positive results in a large randomized, placebo-controlled study (VICTORIA). The study involved patients from a high-risk group with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction; all study participants experienced a recent exacerbation of heart failure. In such patients, the addition of vericiguat (Merck / Bayer) to standard therapy was accompanied by a 10% reduction in the risk (P = .019) of cardiovascular death and hospitalization associated with heart failure compared with the control group. Thus, vericiguat is a promising drug for the treatment of patients at high risk with severe heart failure.
VICTORIA: Vericiguat Seen as Novel Success in Tough-to-Treat, High-Risk Heart Failure (Steve Stiles March 28, 2020)
