Results of landmark heart study bared

More than 2,000 heart specialists and other practicing physicians gathered at the Le Pavillion in Manila last Jan. 22 to listen to the presentation of the results and clinical implications of a landmark study that researchers hope will change the medical landscape in the management of heart diseases.

Results of VALIANT (Valsartan in Acute Myocardial Infarction Trial) was presented to doctors from all over the country by Prof. Inder Anand, chief of the Cardiology Section of the Veterans Affair Medical Center in Minneapolis, USA.

VALIANT is one of the largest studies to date in the treatment after a heart attack. The study compared the effectiveness as well as the safety and tolerability of representatives from two classes of drugs popularly used for high blood pressure – ACE or angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor and valsartan, an angiotensin receptor blocker – in preventing death and other cardiovascular complications.

Researchers of the study found that valsartan is as effective as a proven regimen of an ACE inhibitor in reducing the risk of death among heart attack patients.

"Valsartan is not only effective in the treatment of heart failure, and is approved for patients who cannot be maintained on an ACE inhibitor, it is also the only cardiovascular agent ever demonstrated in a head-to-head trial to have all the proven benefits of an ACE inhibitor, captopril, in patients following a heart attack," said Anand, who is also a professor of medicine at the University of Minnesota.

Although ACE inhibitors have been found in various clinical trials to be effective in the treatment of heart attack patients and those with hypertension, their use has not been optimized in clinical practice because of their bothersome side-effects, specifically itchiness of the throat and coughing.

The VALIANT study provides evidence that compared to an ACE inhibitor, treatment with valsartan resulted in a much lower incidence of adverse drug reactions.

Dr. Maqbool Jafary, another renowned heart specialist practicing at the Faiz-E-Aam Hospital in Karachi, Pakistan, also discussed the other clinical benefits of the use of valsartan.

According to renowned Filipino cardiologist Dr. Antonio Sibulo Jr., valsartan has a very good tolerability profile. This, he noted, makes it a clinically effective alternative since tolerability to a drug is important for long-term treatments such as in ischemic heart disease and heart failure.

Dr. Esperanza Cabral, president of the Philippine Society of Hypertension and a highly respected cardiologist in the country today, also emphasized the cost-effectiveness of drugs.

She said this is very important in cardiovascular therapy since these medicines are given for a long time. She believes that valsartan is a cost-effective therapy in improving the patient’s prognosis following a heart attack.

The other distinguished medical luminaries who gave their inputs on the ideal treatment of heart patients were Dr. Ramon Abarquez, South Asia representative of the World Hypertension League; Dr. Homobono Calleja, director emeritus of the St. Luke’s Heart Institute; and Dr. Romeo Divinagracia, president of the Heart Failure Society.