The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s extensive new study reveals that around 5.7 million Americans suffer from heart failure. This condition can be marked by heart’s inability to pump enough oxygen and blood generally required for facilitating the functioning of all the other organs within the human body. Despite the fact that the heart continuous beating, it is a severe disorder and requires immediate attention. But few reports in the past couple of years suggest that more than fifty percent of patients affected by heart failure succumb to the condition in only 6 years after being diagnosed.
Heart failure has fast become one of the most lethal conditions affecting a large portion of the worldwide population, especially those leading an unhealthy lifestyle and encounter poor prognosis. Some of the key risk factors include hypertension, diabetes, and obesity, all of which are surging rapidly across the globe. Unmet medical needs, particularly in developing regions, are quite significant and the urgent need to bring down the mortality rate has been fostering the demand for effective health failure drugs. Frequent launch of new ACE inhibitors in the market along with the presence of a robust pipeline should bolster the demand for heart failure drugs in the coming years.
The demography that is highly prone to health-related diseases is the elderly population. Individuals aged more than 60 years have emerged as major consumers of heart failure drugs. Geriatric patient base is marked by lower immunity levels with significant vulnerability to chronic ailments such as heart failure. Consequently, the fast-paced growth of the geriatric population worldwide parallel to the higher risk of developing heart failure should elevate the demand and sales of heart failure drugs in the following years.
Surge in FDA approvals is encouraging leading market participants to focus on product innovations and develop new and more advanced drugs with expansive application scopes. To illustrate, in February 2021, the FDA gave the go ahead to Entresto, which is Novartis’ recently developed heart failure drug, for more extensive use in the US market. Following the first FDA approval in the year 2015, Entresto has been catering to people with weak hearts with the ability to pump only around 30% of blood, leading to breathlessness and more. The latest FDA approval for this drug should push its consumption among patients whose hearts pumps out higher amounts of blood but is nowhere near the normal amount.
What Are The Primary Types of Heart Failure Drugs Available In The Market?
Beta Blockers
β blockers are considered to be the mainstay or the first line of treatment for heart failure. β adrenergic blockers especially have been proven in a series of clinical trials to lighten symptoms of heart failure, prevent arrhythmia, extend survival, and more. A variety of beta-blockers are available and each one of these functions differently and have their own set of benefits,
These drugs are known for their ability to help the heart relax, slowing down the heartbeat with less force. This helps lower down the blood pressure and get rid of irregular rhythms. While a few beta-blockers work primarily on the heart, some others work on the heart as well as blood vessels.
ACE Inhibitors
ACE inhibitors are considered to be some of the most significant drugs that help manage heart failure. These help relax the blood vessels and also bring down the blood pressure, which helps facilitate better blood flow. ACE inhibitors’ demand has growing considerably in emerging countries, where cases of heart failure have spiked significantly in the past decade. The sales are considerable in developed countries as well, given the surging incidences of diabetes and obesity. Reports suggest that in the year 2018, over 920,000 patients in the UK suffered from heart failure.
Fosinopril, ramipril, benazepril, enalapril, cilazapril, moexipril, lisinopril, quinapril, perindopril, trandolapril, and captopril are the major ACE inhibitors that are used extensively for treating hypertension. Different ACE inhibitors have varied prescribing rate on the basis of the country. For example, in New Zealand, roughly 70% of the population consuming angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors are given prescription for cilazapril, while in Australia and the UK, this drug is prescribed less often.
Several pharmaceutical firms in the ACE inhibitors market are focused on coming up with advanced drugs. Currently, Prinivil, Qbrelis and Zestril are the most commonly consumed lisinopril while Enalapril is the second-most consumed ACE inhibitor.
Angiotensin-Receptor & Neprilysin Inhibitors
Angiotensin receptor blockers and neprilysin inhibitors, as the name suggests, is a combination of neprilysin inhibitors as well as angiotensin receptor blockers. Neprilysin’s inhibitory properties help boost the levels of natriuretic peptides. These drugs are highly effective when it comes to maintaining the balance of sodium as well as fluids within the body via diuresis, natriuresis and vasodilation. In short, these help lower the risk associated with heart failure while reducing the blood pressure.
Diuretic
Diuretics plays an important role in drug therapy, not only in heart failure but in hypertension as well. Thiazide diuretics have the ability to interfere with the body’s sodium reabsorption rate within the distal tubule’s central part and are clinically used as the first line of therapy for patients with mild chronic heart failure.
On the other hand, loop diuretics’ primary function is to block the sodium–chloride–potassium transporter in Henle’s ascending loop. These are more potent, have faster action rate, and have extensive use in the treatment of severe chronic heart failure as well as acute pulmonary oedema. Loop diuretics are highly preferred drugs among patients suffering from milder heart failure as well as concomitant renal dysfunction. Among congested patients with CHF, diuretics help reduce intracardiac pressures, improve cardiac performance and relieve symptoms.
Bottomline
Heart failure is a fast-growing issue, and its prevalence has mounted significantly in the past few years. With advances in therapies and improved prognosis over the years; effective drug therapy with accurate doses has been favorable for HF patients.
Accelerated cases of cardiovascular diseases worldwide coupled with the escalating number of smokers has amplified the demand for heart failure drugs. Meanwhile, technological innovations in healthcare, surge in per capita income and the rise in government initiatives aimed at upgrading the healthcare infrastructure across various countries should also ensure bright prospects for heart failure drugs industry.