Treatment of Stable Angina with a New Fixed-Dose Combination of Ivabradine and Metoprolol: Effectiveness and Tolerability in Routine Clinical Practice

Expert Consensus on Ivabradine-based Therapy for Heart Rate Management in Chronic Coronary Syndrome and Heart Failure with Reduced Ejection Fraction in India

Heart rate is an important indicator of health and disease and the modulation of heart rate can help to improve cardiovascular outcomes. Besides β-blockers, Ivabradine is a wellestablished heart rate modulating drug that reduces heart rate without any hemodynamic effects. This consensus document was developed with the help of expert opinions from cardiologists across India on effective heart rate management in routine clinical practice and choosing an appropriate Ivabradine-based therapy considering the available scientific data and guideline recommendations. Based on the discussion during the meetings, increased heart rate was recognized as a significant predictor of adverse cardiovascular outcomes among patients with chronic coronary syndromes and heart failure with reduced ejection fraction making heart rate modulation important in these subsets. Ivabradine is indicated in the management of chronic coronary syndromes and heart failure with reduced ejection fraction for patients in whom heart rate targets cannot be achieved despite guideline-directed β-blocker dosing or having contraindication/intolerance to β-blockers. A prolonged release once-daily dosage of Ivabradine can be considered in patients already stabilized on Ivabradine twice-daily. Ivabradine/β-blocker fixed-dose combination can also be considered to reduce pill burden. Two consensus algorithms have been developed for further guidance on the appropriate usage of Ivabradine-based therapies. Ivabradine and β-blockers can provide more pronounced clinical improvement in most chronic coronary syndromes and heart failure with reduced ejection fraction patients with a fixed-dose combination providing an opportunity to improve adherence.

[Efficacy and Safety of Combined Treament with Ivabradine and Metoprolol in Patients with Stable Angina Pectoris - a Systematic Review]

This article presents results of a systematic review, which was designed for evaluating the effect of combination treatment with ivabradine and metoprolol on heart rate, frequency of angina attacks, frequency of using short-acting nitrates, and angina severity. The analysis included data from three large observational studies on efficacy of the ivabradine and metoprolol tartrate combination in patients with chronic angina. Results of the analysis supported the efficacy of the metoprolol and ivabradine combination in clinical practice, which provided effective decreases in the heart rate, frequency of angina attacks, requirement for short-acting nitrates, and alleviation of angina severity. The studies demonstrated good tolerability of this treatment.

Effectiveness and Impact on Adherence of a New Fixed-Dose Combination of Ivabradine and Metoprolol in a Wide Range of Stable Angina Patients in Real-Life Practice

INTRODUCTION

The antianginal effectiveness of ivabradine administration in addition to beta-blockers has been shown in patients with stable angina. The first fixed-dose combination (FDC) of ivabradine and metoprolol is now available and its evaluation in various stable angina patient populations relevant to clinical practice would be useful.

METHODS

In this 4-month, prospective, multicenter, observational study, the effectiveness and tolerability of the metoprolol/ivabradine FDC was assessed in patient subgroups specified according to age, coronary artery disease (CAD) duration, Canadian Cardiovascular Society (CCS) class, co-morbidities, and previous myocardial infarction (MI) or revascularization. Heart rate (HR), angina attack frequency, short-acting nitrate (SAN) consumption, functional status, and medication adherence were documented at baseline and after 4 months of follow-up.

RESULTS

A total of 747 stable angina patients were included and divided into subgroups. At 4 months, a significant decrease in HR, angina attack frequency, and SAN consumption per week was consistently observed across all patient subgroups. The proportion of CCS class I patients increased significantly from baseline to month 4. In all patient subgroups, at 4 months, a significant increase was observed in the proportion of patients with self-reported complete adherence. Complete adherence at the final visit was found to decrease with an increasing number of medications. Physicians evaluated the effectiveness and tolerability of the FDC as 'very good' and 'good' for more than 96% of patients in all analyzed patient subgroups.

CONCLUSIONS

Treatment with metoprolol/ivabradine FDC significantly improved angina symptoms and adherence, with an excellent tolerability profile, in stable angina patient subgroups relevant to real-life clinical practice, regardless of age, CAD duration, CCS class, comorbidities, previous MI, or history of revascularization.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ISRCTN51906157.

FUNDING

This study was sponsored by Servier Deutschland GmbH. Editorial assistance and the Rapid Service Fee were funded by Servier, France. Plain language summary available for this article.

[The Pathways to Increase the Efficacy of Drug Therapy in Patients with Ischemic Heart Disease after Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting]

PURPOSE

to assess drug therapy and achievement of target parameters of treatment in patients with ischemic heart disease (IHD) during 3-5 years of follow-up aſter coronary bypass surgery.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

From the initial sample of the coronary bypass surgery registry (n=680) we selected for this study 111 men (mean age 61 [55; 65] years) hospitalized in 2011 with clinical picture of IHD for coronary artery bypass graſting (CABG).

RESULTS

Mean duration of follow-up was 4.2 years. Mortality was 11.7 % (n=13), 11 deaths were cardiovascular, 2 - from unknown causes. End points defined as repeat hospitalizations and IHD progression were registered in 18 of 98 patients (18.4 %). Only in 25 % of patients during 3-5 years of observation aſter CABG there were no clinical signs of angina. Five patients (5.1 %) developed new type 2 diabetes. Drug therapy: 80 patients (81.6 %) received acetylsalicylic acid, 60 (61.2 %) - angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors, 80 (81.6 %) - β-adrenoblockers. Eighty-one men (82.6 %) received statins, but only 20 of 98 re-examined patients (20.4 %) took high doses. Target levels of low density lipoprotein cholesterolConclusion. Data of clinical practice illustrate insufficient quality of basic and antianginal therapy in patients with IHD aſter CABG. Indicators of control of angina, heart rate, achievement of target levels of parameters of lipid metabolism remain unsatisfactory.

Ivabradine and metoprolol in fixed dose combination: When, why and how to use it

Heart rate is an important factor in coronary artery disease and its manifestations, and as such has been considered as a possible target for therapy. Although in epidemiological, and in less degree, in clinical studies derived indications of a possible pathogenetic role of heart rate in major cardiac diseases, clinical trials did not provided any strong evidence. However, even as a simple risk marker, remains important in the treatment of coronary artery disease and heart failure. Beta-blockers are the drugs most frequently used for heart rate control. However, recent studies constantly find insufficient effectiveness of beta-blockers in heart rate control and go further to question their efficacy on outcomes, making clear the need for an additional therapy. Ivabradine, a pure heart rate inhibitor, added to classic beta-blocker treatment represent the new therapeutic option in stable coronary disease and heart failure.