| MSD drug 'associated with preserved renal function and improved dyspnea' | Posted on 03/04/2008 in Pharmaceutical Company Product News Merck, Sharp and Dohme (MSD) has reportedly issued the results of a phase III pilot dose-ranging study of rolofylline administered with intravenous loop diuretics in patients with acute heart failure and renal impairment.
Study results show that patients receiving the compound showed improved dyspnea and preserved renal function compared to those administered with intravenous diuretics or placebo, Datamonitor reports.
Furthermore, a post-hoc analysis of the results showed that the compound was associated with a trend towards reduced hospital readmission for renal or cardiovascular causes and reduced 60-day mortality.
Barry Massie, lead investigator of the study, said: "We now need to assess in larger clinical trials whether rolofylline can positively affect acute symptoms of heart failure and help preserve renal function."
He added that the preservation of kidney function is a key goal for improving the prognosis of acute heart failure patients.
Rolofylline works by blocking adenosine-mediated vasoconstruction of different arterioles in the kidney and restricting the reabsoprtion of salt and water by the kidneys in order to increase urine production and renal blood flow.
MSD acquired rolofylline in is acquisition of NovaCardia in September 2007, integrating the compound into its own research and development pipeline.
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