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news.Merck & Co. has said that, in a Phase III pilot dose-ranging study of patients with acute heart failure syndrome and renal impairment, treatment with rolofylline administered with intravenous loop diuretics was associated with improved dyspnea and preserved renal function compared to treatment with placebo and intravenous diuretics.
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In addition, in a post-hoc analysis, treatment with rolofylline was associated with a trend towards reduced 60-day mortality or hospital readmission for cardiovascular or renal causes. Rolofylline increases renal blood flow and urine production by blocking adenosine-mediated vasoconstriction of the afferent arterioles of the kidneys and inhibiting salt and water reabsorption by the kidney.
Barry Massie, lead investigator of the study, said: “Preserving kidney function is an important goal for improving the prognosis of patients with acute heart failure. We now need to assess in larger clinical trials whether rolofylline can positively affect acute symptoms of heart failure and help preserve renal function.”