Efficacy of Tolvaptan Added to Furosemide in Heart Failure Patients with Advanced Kidney Dysfunction: A Pharmacokinetic and Pharmacodynamic Study

Clinical efficacy of tolvaptan in acute decompensated heart failure patients with severe aortic stenosis and atrial fibrillation: a sub-analysis from the LOHAS registry

BACKGROUND

Severe aortic valve stenosis (AS) and atrial fibrillation (AF) are risk factors of hemodynamic instability in heart failure (HF) management due to low cardiac output, respectively. Therefore, the treatment of HF due to severe AS complicated with AF is anticipated to be difficult. Tolvaptan, a vasopressin V2 receptor inhibitor, is effective in controlling acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) with hemodynamic stability. However, its clinical efficacy against ADHF caused by AS with AF remains to be determined.

METHODS

Clinical information (from September 2014 to December 2017) of 59 patients diagnosed with ADHF due to severe AS (20 patients with AF; 39 patients with sinus rhythm [SR]) was obtained from the LOHAS registry. The registry collected data from seven hospitals and assessed the short-term effects of tolvaptan in patients hospitalized for ADHF with severe AS. We attempted to identify clinical differences from baseline up to 4 days, comparing patients with AF (AF group) versus those with SR (SR group).

RESULTS

There were no significant differences between the groups in age (83.7 ± 4.5 vs. 85.8 ± 6.9 years, respectively; p = 0.11) and aortic valve area (0.60 [0.46-0.73] vs. 0.56 [0.37-0.70] cm2, respectively; p = 0.50). However, left atrial volume was larger (104 [85-126] vs. 87 [64-103] mL, respectively; p < 0.01), whereas stroke volume was lower (51.6 ± 14.8 vs. 59.0 ± 18.7 mL, respectively; p = 0.08) in the AF group versus the SR group. Body weight decreased daily from baseline up to day 4 in both groups (from 55.4 to 53.2 kg [p < 0.01] and from 53.5 to 51.0 kg [p < 0.01], respectively) without change in heart rate. Notably, the systolic blood pressure decreased slightly in the AF group after 2 days of treatment with tolvaptan.

CONCLUSIONS

Short-term treatment with tolvaptan improved HF in patients hospitalized for severe AS, regardless of the presence of AF or SR. After achieving sufficient diuresis, a slight decrease in blood pressure was observed in the AF group, suggesting an appropriate timeframe for safe and effective use of tolvaptan.

Tolvaptan's Association with Low Risk of Acute Kidney Injury in Patients with Advanced Chronic Kidney Disease and Acute Decompensated Heart Failure

INTRODUCTION

Furosemide, a loop diuretic, is often empirically used to treat acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) initially. Conversely, decongestion using tolvaptan, an aquaretic, is thought to maintain renal function compared to furosemide. However, it has not been investigated in patients with advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD) at high risk of developing acute kidney injury (AKI). This study aimed to investigate AKI incidence using tolvaptan add-on treatment, compared to increased furosemide treatment for patients with ADHF complicated by advanced CKD.

METHODS

We retrospectively studied patients with advanced CKD (estimated glomerular filtration rate [eGFR] <45 mL/min/1.73 m2) who developed ADHF under outpatient furosemide treatment. The exposure was set to tolvaptan add-on treatment, and the control was set to increased furosemide treatment.

RESULTS

Of the 163 patients enrolled, 79 were in the tolvaptan group and 84 in the furosemide group. The mean age was 71.6 years, the percentage of males was 63.8%, the mean eGFR was 15.7 mL/min/1.73 m2, and patients with CKD stage G5 were 61.9%. AKI incidence was 17.7% in the tolvaptan group and 42.9% in the furosemide group (odds ratio [95% confidence interval]: 0.34 [0.13-0.86], p = 0.023 in multivariate logistic regression analysis). Persistent AKI incidence was 11.8% in the tolvaptan group and 32.9% in the furosemide group (odds ratio [95% confidence interval]: 0.34 [0.10-1.06], p = 0.066 in the multinomial logit analysis).

CONCLUSION

This study suggests that tolvaptan may be better than furosemide in patients with ADHF experiencing complicated advanced CKD.

Diuretic resistance in patients with kidney disease: Challenges and opportunities

Edema caused by kidney disease is called renal edema. Edema is a common symptom of many human kidney diseases. Patients with renal edema often need to take diuretics.However, After taking diuretics, patients with kidney diseases are prone to kidney congestion, decreased renal perfusion, decreased diuretics secreted by renal tubules, neuroendocrine system abnormalities, abnormal ion transporter transport, drug interaction, electrolyte disorder, and hypoproteinemia, which lead to ineffective or weakened diuretic use and increase readmission rate and mortality. The main causes and coping strategies of diuretic resistance in patients with kidney diseases were described in detail in this report. The common causes of DR included poor diet (electrolyte disturbance and hypoproteinemia due to patients' failure to limit diet according to correct sodium, chlorine, potassium, and protein level) and poor drug compliance (the patient did not take adequate doses of diuretics. true resistance occurs only if the patient takes adequate doses of diuretics, but they are not effective), changes in pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, electrolyte disorders, changes in renal adaptation, functional nephron reduction, and decreased renal blood flow. Common treatment measures include increasing in the diuretic dose and/or frequency, sequential nephron blockade,using new diuretics, ultrafiltration treatment, etc. In clinical work, measures should be taken to prevent or delay the occurrence and development of DR in patients with kidney diseases according to the actual situation of patients and the mechanism of various causes. Currently, there are many studies on DR in patients with heart diseases. Although the phenomenon of DR in patients with kidney diseases is common, there is a relatively little overview of the mechanism and treatment strategy of DR in patients with kidney diseases. Therefore, this paper hopes to show the information on DR in patients with kidney diseases to clinicians and researchers and broaden the research direction and ideas to a certain extent.

Combination of tolvaptan and valsartan improves cardiac and renal functions in doxorubicin-induced heart failure in mice

Heart failure (HF) is often complicated by renal dysfunction. Tolvaptan and valsartan are two well-known agents for the treatment of HF. However, the role of tolvaptan/valsartan combination on HF with renal dysfunction remains unclear. To establish a mice model with HF with renal dysfunction, mice were intraperitoneally injected with doxorubicin (Dox). Echocardiogram was applied to assess the left ventricular function. Additionally, serum aldosterone (ALD) and angiotensin II (Ang II) level in mice were determined by ELISA. Meanwhile, western blot assay was used to evaluate the expressions of B cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2), Bcl-2 associated X (Bax) and cleaved caspase 3 in the heart and kidney tissues of mice. In this study, we found that compared to tolvaptan or valsartan alone treatment group, tolvaptan/valsartan combination obviously improved the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and the left ventricular fractional shortening (LVFS), and reduced serum ALD and Ang II level in Dox-treated mice. Additionally, tolvaptan/valsartan combination significantly prevented the inflammation and fibrosis of heart and kidney tissues in Dox-treated mice. Meanwhile, tolvaptan/valsartan combination notably inhibited the myocardial and renal cell apoptosis in Dox-treated mice via upregulation of Bcl-2 and downregulation of Bax and cleaved caspase 3, compared to the single drug treatment. Collectively, tolvaptan/valsartan combination could improve cardiac and renal functions, as well as prevent the fibrosis, inflammation and apoptosis of heart and kidney tissues in Dox-treated mice. Taken together, combining tolvaptan with valsartan might be a promising approach to achieve enhanced therapeutic effect for treatment of HF with renal dysfunction.

Efficacy and safety of intravenous OPC-61815 compared with oral tolvaptan in patients with congestive heart failure

AIMS

This multicentre, randomized, controlled, double-blind, parallel-group Phase III study was conducted to confirm the non-inferiority of OPC-61815 (tolvaptan sodium phosphate) intravenous injections to oral tolvaptan tablets in patients with congestive heart failure and volume overload despite receiving diuretics other than vasopressin antagonists.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Congestive heart failure patients with volume overload despite receiving diuretics other than vasopressin antagonists were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive OPC-61815 (16-mg injection; n = 149) or oral tolvaptan (15-mg tablet; n = 145) once daily for 5 days. Most patients were male; the mean age and weight were 74.7 years and 62.1 kg, respectively; other demographic and clinical characteristics were similar between groups. In this study, the primary endpoint was the change in body weight from baseline to the day after the last dose. Secondary endpoints included improvement from baseline in congestive findings and New York Heart Association classification. The change in body weight was -1.67 kg [95% confidence interval (CI): -1.93, -1.41] and -1.36 kg (95% CI: -1.62, -1.10) in the OPC-61815 group and tolvaptan group, respectively; the difference in the least squares mean between the groups was -0.31 kg (95% CI: -0.68, 0.06). Given the upper CI did not exceed the pre-specified limit of 0.48, this confirmed the non-inferiority of injectable OPC-61815 to oral tolvaptan. Daily urine volume and daily fluid intake increased, and daily fluid balance was negative throughout the treatment period; changes were similar for both groups. All evaluated congestive symptoms and New York Heart Association classifications showed improvement and safety findings were similar between the groups. The incidence of hyperkalaemia was higher in the OPC-61815 group, and the incidence of thirst and dry mouth was higher in the tolvaptan group. Most treatment-emergent adverse events were mild to moderate; one serious treatment-emergent adverse event of hyperkalaemia in the OPC-61815 group was considered treatment related.

CONCLUSIONS

OPC-61815 (16-mg injection) was confirmed as non-inferior to oral tolvaptan (15-mg tablet) in patients with congestive heart failure and inadequate response to diuretics; no new safety concerns were observed.

Impact of tolvaptan on improvement of tricuspid regurgitation and right ventricular dimension in patients with right-sided heart failure

Managing right-sided chronic heart failure (CHF) due to tricuspid regurgitation (TR) remains a clinical challenge. Tolvaptan (TLV), a vasopressin V2 receptor inhibitor, is effective in controlling decompensated HF. However, its effects on right-sided CHF caused by TR are unclear. We sought to clarify the effects of TLV in CHF patients complicated with TR. The cohort consisted of 33 CHF patients with moderate or severe TR and permanent atrial fibrillation, who required hospitalization for HF. We observed 19 patients treated with TLV plus conventional therapies (TLV group) and 14 patients with conventional therapies alone (conventional group). Clinical characteristics, echocardiographic parameters, and laboratory data were investigated. Baseline characteristics were similar between groups. In the TLV group, the severity of TR at admission was 73.7% moderate and 26.3% severe. In the conventional group, these percentages were 85.7% and 14.3%, respectively. During the follow-up, the severity of TR improved in the TLV group (trivial-mild: 52.6%; moderate: 36.8%; severe: 10.5%) (p < 0.01). However, it did not improve in the conventional group (trivial-mild: 21.4%; moderate: 50.0%; severe: 28.6%) (p = 0.08). The diameter of the tricuspid annulus (p < 0.01), basal (p = 0.02), and mid right ventricle (p = 0.04) was reduced at follow-up in the TLV group. Nevertheless, these parameters did not change in the conventional group. Serum creatinine levels were maintained (p = 0.74) in the TLV group, but deteriorated in the conventional group (p = 0.03). TLV reduced right ventricular dimensions and improved TR without deterioration of renal function. Thus, TLV may be a new drug for the treatment of CHF patients with TR.

Plasma Concentration and Pharmacodynamics of Edoxaban in Patients with Nonvalvular Atrial Fibrillation and Acute Heart Failure

Objective

The objective of this study was to assess the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic profiles and safety of edoxaban in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) who were hospitalized with acute heart failure (AHF).

Methods

The trough plasma concentrations of edoxaban, and the coagulation biomarkers prothrombin fragments 1 and 2 (F1+2) and d-dimer, were determined. Twenty-six patients received edoxaban 60 mg (30 mg when dose adjustment was required) and blood samples were collected immediately before oral edoxaban administration for 7 consecutive days after hospitalization and on the day of discharge.

Results

The mean observation period was 13 (range 7–46) days. Trough plasma concentrations of edoxaban were constant from day 2 onwards. On day 1, the variation was greater owing to the differing intervals between the last edoxaban dose and day 1 blood collection. Trough plasma concentrations were higher in patients with reduced creatinine clearance (≤ 50 mL/min). Median values for F1+2 and d-dimer remained within normal ranges throughout the study. There were no drug discontinuations, and no serious adverse events were reported.

Conclusions

This is the first study of edoxaban pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics in patients with NVAF and AHF, and shows that the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic profiles of edoxaban were constant during hospitalization. Thus, even in patients with NVAF and AHF, edoxaban anticoagulation therapy with guided dose adjustment is considered to be a safe and appropriate intervention. In particular, patients with reduced creatinine clearance should adhere to dose adjustment criteria.

Clinical Trial Registration

jRCTs031190006 (Japan Registry of Clinical Trials), 5 April, 2019 retrospectively registered.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40262-021-00999-y.

Tolvaptan alleviates excessive fluid retention of nephrotic diabetic renal failure unresponsive to furosemide

Patients with diabetic nephropathy develop nephrotic syndrome and may show limited response to conventional therapy. They often require earlier initiation of renal replacement therapy because they become refractory to diuretics, and experience excessive fluid retention. We aimed to investigate the efficacy of tolvaptan, an oral arginine vasopressin type 2 receptor antagonist, in a case series of 14 severe diabetic renal failure patients who were severely refractory to maximal doses of furosemide and had excessive fluid retention despite preserved cardiac function and residual renal function. All 14 patients experienced immediate and sustained water diuretic effects, resulting in alleviation of congestive heart failure. None required initiation of renal replacement therapy. Tolvaptan promptly increased urine volume and free water clearance, reversed progressive fluid retention, and alleviated congestive heart failure. Thus, tolvaptan could serve as a potential adjunct therapy for severe diabetic renal failure patients with excessive fluid retention and congestive heart failure.

Tolvaptan for Heart Failure in Chronic Kidney Disease Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

BACKGROUND

Heart failure (HF) is frequently associated with renal impairment. Tolvaptan is reported to be effective in treating congestion in HF without significant electrolyte loss compared to conventional diuretics. However, the safety and efficacy of its use in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) is uncertain. This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated the efficacy and safety outcomes of tolvaptan for HF management in patients with CKD, with a focus at a physiologic basis related to safety.

METHODS

We searched for observational studies and randomised clinical trials (RCTs) that assessed the effects of tolvaptan against placebo or standard care in adult patients with HF and CKD. Our protocol was registered with PROSPERO (number CRD42017052775).

RESULTS

Seventeen studies were included in the qualitative review and six in the meta-analysis involving 1597 patients. Tolvaptan was associated with an increase in sodium concentration. No significant differences in change of eGFR and serum creatinine were found between tolvaptan and control groups. Urine flow rate appears to increase significantly with tolvaptan compared to baseline (p<0.0001). The meta-analysis demonstrated no heterogeneity between studies but the possibility of publication bias due to incomplete reporting in excluded studies and lack of RCTs.

CONCLUSIONS

The safety profile of tolvaptan appears acceptable for patients with HF and CKD. There is evidence for an improvement in serum sodium and reduction in body water without deterioration in renal function. Further research is needed to elucidate the long-term benefits of tolvaptan as an adjunct or alternative to diuretics in such patients.

Risk factors for hypernatremia in patients with short- and long-term tolvaptan treatment

PURPOSE

The long-term efficacy of tolvaptan, a vasopressin V2 receptor antagonist, has been reported. However, the safety of long-term treatment remains to be fully elucidated. We assessed the safety profile of tolvaptan with respect to hypernatremia.

METHODS

This retrospective study included 371 patients treated with tolvaptan. Risk factors for hypernatremia (serum sodium concentration ≥147 mEq/L) were determined.

RESULTS

Hypernatremia occurred in 95 patients (25.6 %), of whom 71 (19.1 %) developed hypernatremia within 7 days of tolvaptan treatment (early onset). Stepwise logistic regression analysis demonstrated that baseline serum sodium ≥140 mEq/L, an initial tolvaptan dosage >7.5 mg, and a BUN/serum creatinine ratio ≥20 were independent risk factors for early onset of hypernatremia. Tolvaptan was prescribed for more than 7 days to 233 patients, of whom 123 were administrated tolvaptan for more than 1 month. Hypernatremia occurred in 24 of these patients (10.3 %) (late onset). Predictive factors for late onset of hypernatremia were an average daily dosage of tolvaptan >7.5 mg and age ≥75 years.

CONCLUSIONS

A daily dosage of 7.5 mg or less was recommended to prevent hypernatremia in short- as well as long-term tolvaptan treatment, and mainly elderly patients were at risk for hypernatremia.

Tolvaptan Prolongs Blockage of the Vasopressin Type II Receptor Over 24 Hours in Responders With Stage D Heart Failure

The urine aquaporin-2 (U-AQP2) level relative to the plasma arginine vasopressin (P-AVP) level is a novel predictor of the responsiveness to the vasopressin type 2 receptor (V2R) antagonist tolvaptan (TLV). However, little has been reported about the concentration-time profile of U-AQP2 after TLV treatment. We evaluated 24 patients with decompensated stage D heart failure (HF) who had received 3.75 mg/day of TLV on a de novo basis for > 7 days to treat congestion refractory to conventional diuretics. Seventeen patients were TLV-responders, whose 24-hour urine volume (UV) increased after TLV initiation; the other 7 patients were TLV-non-responders. The U-AQP2 of the TLV-responders, corrected for the urine creatinine concentration, decreased significantly at 4 hours after TLV administration without returning to the day-1 morning level on the morning of day-7. The TLV-non-responder U-AQP2 levels remained low even before the TLV treatment. On the morning of day-7, the TLV-responder U-AQP2/P-AVP ratio was comparable to that of the TLV-non-responders. Among 18 patients (11 responders and 7 non-responders), the day-7 TLV trough concentration was 64 ± 62 ng/mL and was negatively correlated with the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). TLV has antagonistic effects on the V2R over 24 hours in TLV-responders with advanced heart failure and chronic kidney disease, probably due to persistently elevated blood TLV concentration. The unresponsiveness to TLV in the TLV-non-responders is not attributable to malabsorption.