Diastolic heart failure(DHF) is a type of congestive heart failure (CHF).
“We are pleased with the clinical progress of this additional indication for sitaxsentan,” said George Cole, president and CEO of Encysive. “DHF is a challenging disease to treat, and physicians and patients have very limited options available. We look forward to results of the trial, expected in the middle of 2008.”
Sitaxsentan is being tested on approximately 150 DHF patients at approximately 40 study centers. The primary efficacy objective of the study is change in treadmill exercise time at week 24 of treatment. A data safety monitor board has conducted two reviews of the Phase II trial with no recommended changes to the study plan.
Diastolic heart failure occurs when the heart is stiff and cannot relax after contracting. Consequently the heart cannot properly fill with blood, causing blood to back up in the left atrium and lung. Three million Americans have CHF and 500,000 new cases are diagnosed each year. Of these cases, DHF accounts for 40 to 60%.