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Papp Z, Agostoni P, Alvarez J, Bettex D, Bouchez S, Brito D, Černý V, Comin-Colet J, Crespo-Leiro MG, Delgado JF, Édes I, Eremenko AA, Farmakis D, Fedele F, Fonseca C, Fruhwald S, Girardis M, Guarracino F, Harjola VP, Heringlake M, Herpain A, Heunks LM, Husebye T, Ivancan V, Karason K, Kaul S, Kivikko M, Kubica J, Masip J, Matskeplishvili S, Mebazaa A, Nieminen MS, Oliva F, Papp JG, Parissis J, Parkhomenko A, Põder P, Pölzl G, Reinecke A, Ricksten SE, Riha H, Rudiger A, Sarapohja T, Schwinger RH, Toller W, Tritapepe L, Tschöpe C, Wikström G, von Lewinski D, Vrtovec B, Pollesello P. Levosimendan Efficacy and Safety: 20 years of SIMDAX in Clinical Use. Card Fail Rev 2020; 6:e19. [PMID: 32714567 PMCID: PMC7374352 DOI: 10.15420/cfr.2020.03] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2020] [Accepted: 03/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Levosimendan was first approved for clinic use in 2000, when authorisation was granted by Swedish regulatory authorities for the haemodynamic stabilisation of patients with acutely decompensated chronic heart failure. In the ensuing 20 years, this distinctive inodilator, which enhances cardiac contractility through calcium sensitisation and promotes vasodilatation through the opening of adenosine triphosphate-dependent potassium channels on vascular smooth muscle cells, has been approved in more than 60 jurisdictions, including most of the countries of the European Union and Latin America. Areas of clinical application have expanded considerably and now include cardiogenic shock, takotsubo cardiomyopathy, advanced heart failure, right ventricular failure and pulmonary hypertension, cardiac surgery, critical care and emergency medicine. Levosimendan is currently in active clinical evaluation in the US. Levosimendan in IV formulation is being used as a research tool in the exploration of a wide range of cardiac and non-cardiac disease states. A levosimendan oral form is at present under evaluation in the management of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. To mark the 20 years since the advent of levosimendan in clinical use, 51 experts from 23 European countries (Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UK and Ukraine) contributed to this essay, which evaluates one of the relatively few drugs to have been successfully introduced into the acute heart failure arena in recent times and charts a possible development trajectory for the next 20 years.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zoltán Papp
- Department of Cardiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Debrecen Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Piergiuseppe Agostoni
- Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, Centro Cardiologico Monzino, IRCCS Milan, Italy
| | - Julian Alvarez
- Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, University of Santiago de Compostela Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - Dominique Bettex
- Institute of Anaesthesiology, University Hospital of Zurich Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Stefan Bouchez
- Department of Anaesthesiology, University Hospital Ghent, Belgium
| | - Dulce Brito
- Cardiology Department, Centro Hospitalar Universitario Lisboa Norte, CCUI, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Vladimir Černý
- Department of Anaesthesiology, Perioperative Medicine and Intensive Care, Masaryk Hospital, J.E. Purkinje University Usti nad Labem, Czech Republic
| | - Josep Comin-Colet
- Heart Diseases Institute, Hospital Universitari de Bellvitge Barcelona, Spain
| | - Marisa G Crespo-Leiro
- Complexo Hospitalario Universitario A Coruña (CHUAC), CIBERCV, Instituto de Investigacion Biomedica A Coruña (INIBIC), Universidad de a Coruña (UDC) La Coruña, Spain
| | - Juan F Delgado
- Heart Failure and Transplant Program, Cardiology Department, University Hospital 12 Octubre Madrid, Spain
| | - Istvan Édes
- Department of Cardiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Debrecen Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Alexander A Eremenko
- Department of Cardiac Intensive Care, Petrovskii National Research Centre of Surgery, Sechenov University Moscow, Russia
| | - Dimitrios Farmakis
- Department of Cardiology, Medical School, University of Cyprus Nicosia, Cyprus
| | - Francesco Fedele
- Department of Cardiovascular, Respiratory, Nephrology, Anaesthesiology and Geriatric Sciences, La Sapienza University of Rome Rome, Italy
| | - Cândida Fonseca
- Heart Failure Clinic, São Francisco Xavier Hospital, CHLO Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Sonja Fruhwald
- Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, Division of Anaesthesiology for Cardiovascular Surgery and Intensive Care Medicine, Medical University of Graz Graz, Austria
| | - Massimo Girardis
- Struttura Complessa di Anestesia 1, Policlinico di Modena Modena, Italy
| | - Fabio Guarracino
- Dipartimento di Anestesia e Terapie Intensive, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Pisana Pisa, Italy
| | - Veli-Pekka Harjola
- Emergency Medicine, Meilahti Central University Hospital, University of Helsinki Helsinki, Finland
| | - Matthias Heringlake
- Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, University of Lübeck Lübeck, Germany
| | - Antoine Herpain
- Department of Intensive Care, Hôpital Erasme Brussels, Belgium
| | - Leo Ma Heunks
- Department of Intensive Care Medicine, Amsterdam UMC Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Tryggve Husebye
- Department of Cardiology, Oslo University Hospital Ullevaal Oslo, Norway
| | - Višnja Ivancan
- Department of Anaesthesiology, Reanimatology and Intensive Care, University Hospital Centre Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Kristjan Karason
- Departments of Cardiology and Transplantation, Sahlgrenska University Hospital Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Sundeep Kaul
- Intensive Care Unit, National Health Service Leeds, UK
| | - Matti Kivikko
- Global Medical Affairs, R&D, Orion Pharma Espoo, Finland
| | - Janek Kubica
- Department of Cardiology and Internal Medicine, Nicolaus Copernicus University Torun, Poland
| | - Josep Masip
- Intensive Care Department, Consorci Sanitari Integral, University of Barcelona Barcelona, Spain
| | | | - Alexandre Mebazaa
- Department of Anaesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, AP-HP, Saint Louis and Lariboisière University Hospitals Paris, France
| | | | - Fabrizio Oliva
- Department of Cardiology, Niguarda Ca'Granda Hospital Milan, Italy
| | - Julius-Gyula Papp
- MTA-SZTE Research Group of Cardiovascular Pharmacology, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, University of Szeged Szeged, Hungary
| | - John Parissis
- Second Department of Cardiology, Attikon University Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens Athens, Greece
| | - Alexander Parkhomenko
- Emergency Cardiology Department, National Scientific Centre MD Strazhesko Institute of Cardiology Kiev, Ukraine
| | - Pentti Põder
- Department of Cardiology, North Estonia Medical Centre Tallinn, Estonia
| | - Gerhard Pölzl
- Department of Internal Medicine III, Cardiology and Angiology, Medical University of Innsbruck Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Alexander Reinecke
- Klinik für Innere Medizin III, Kardiologie, Universitätsklinikum Schleswig-Holstein Kiel, Germany
| | - Sven-Erik Ricksten
- Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care, Sahlgrenska University Hospital Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Hynek Riha
- Cardiothoracic Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care, Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, Institute for Clinical and Experimental Medicine Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Alain Rudiger
- Department of Medicine, Spittal Limmattal Schlieren, Switzerland
| | | | - Robert Hg Schwinger
- Medizinische Klinik II, Klinikum Weiden, Teaching Hospital of University of Regensburg Weiden, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Toller
- Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, Medical University of Graz Graz, Austria
| | - Luigi Tritapepe
- Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Division, San Camillo-Forlanini Hospital Rome, Italy
| | - Carsten Tschöpe
- Department of Cardiology, Campus Virchow Klinikum, Charité - University Medicine Berlin Berlin, Germany
| | - Gerhard Wikström
- Institute of Medical Sciences, Uppsala University Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Dirk von Lewinski
- Department of Cardiology, Myokardiale Energetik und Metabolismus Research Unit, Medical University of Graz Graz, Austria
| | - Bojan Vrtovec
- Advanced Heart Failure and Transplantation Centre, Department of Cardiology, University Clinical Centre Ljubljana, Slovenia
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Papp Z, Agostoni P, Alvarez J, Bettex D, Bouchez S, Brito D, Černý V, Comin-Colet J, Crespo-Leiro MG, Delgado JF, Édes I, Eremenko AA, Farmakis D, Fedele F, Fonseca C, Fruhwald S, Girardis M, Guarracino F, Harjola VP, Heringlake M, Herpain A, Heunks LMA, Husebye T, Ivancan V, Karason K, Kaul S, Kivikko M, Kubica J, Masip J, Matskeplishvili S, Mebazaa A, Nieminen MS, Oliva F, Papp JG, Parissis J, Parkhomenko A, Põder P, Pölzl G, Reinecke A, Ricksten SE, Riha H, Rudiger A, Sarapohja T, Schwinger RHG, Toller W, Tritapepe L, Tschöpe C, Wikström G, von Lewinski D, Vrtovec B, Pollesello P. Levosimendan Efficacy and Safety: 20 Years of SIMDAX in Clinical Use. J Cardiovasc Pharmacol 2020; 76:4-22. [PMID: 32639325 PMCID: PMC7340234 DOI: 10.1097/fjc.0000000000000859] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2020] [Accepted: 05/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Levosimendan was first approved for clinical use in 2000, when authorization was granted by Swedish regulatory authorities for the hemodynamic stabilization of patients with acutely decompensated chronic heart failure (HF). In the ensuing 20 years, this distinctive inodilator, which enhances cardiac contractility through calcium sensitization and promotes vasodilatation through the opening of adenosine triphosphate-dependent potassium channels on vascular smooth muscle cells, has been approved in more than 60 jurisdictions, including most of the countries of the European Union and Latin America. Areas of clinical application have expanded considerably and now include cardiogenic shock, takotsubo cardiomyopathy, advanced HF, right ventricular failure, pulmonary hypertension, cardiac surgery, critical care, and emergency medicine. Levosimendan is currently in active clinical evaluation in the United States. Levosimendan in IV formulation is being used as a research tool in the exploration of a wide range of cardiac and noncardiac disease states. A levosimendan oral form is at present under evaluation in the management of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. To mark the 20 years since the advent of levosimendan in clinical use, 51 experts from 23 European countries (Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and Ukraine) contributed to this essay, which evaluates one of the relatively few drugs to have been successfully introduced into the acute HF arena in recent times and charts a possible development trajectory for the next 20 years.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zoltán Papp
- Department of Cardiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Piergiuseppe Agostoni
- Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, Centro Cardiologico Monzino, IRCCS, Milan, Italy
| | - Julian Alvarez
- Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, University of Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - Dominique Bettex
- Institute of Anaesthesiology, University Hospital of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Stefan Bouchez
- Department of Anaesthesiology, University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Dulce Brito
- Cardiology Department, Centro Hospitalar Universitario Lisboa Norte, CCUI, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Vladimir Černý
- Department of Anaesthesiology, Perioperative Medicine and Intensive Care, Masaryk Hospital, J.E. Purkinje University, Usti nad Labem, Czech Republic
| | - Josep Comin-Colet
- Heart Diseases Institute, Hospital Universitari de Bellvitge, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Marisa G. Crespo-Leiro
- Complexo Hospitalario Universitario A Coruña (CHUAC), CIBERCV, Instituto de Investigacion Biomedica A Coruña (INIBIC), Universidad de a Coruña (UDC), La Coruña, Spain
| | - Juan F. Delgado
- Heart Failure and Transplant Program, Cardiology Department, University Hospital 12 Octubre, Madrid, Spain
| | - István Édes
- Department of Cardiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Alexander A. Eremenko
- Department of Cardiac Intensive Care, Petrovskii National Research Centre of Surgery, Sechenov University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Dimitrios Farmakis
- Department of Cardiology, Medical School, University of Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus
| | - Francesco Fedele
- Department of Cardiovascular, Respiratory, Nephrology, Anaesthesiology and Geriatric Sciences, La Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Cândida Fonseca
- Heart Failure Clinic, São Francisco Xavier Hospital, CHLO, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Sonja Fruhwald
- Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, Division of Anaesthesiology for Cardiovascular Surgery and Intensive Care Medicine, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria
| | - Massimo Girardis
- Struttura Complessa di Anestesia 1, Policlinico di Modena, Modena, Italy
| | - Fabio Guarracino
- Dipartimento di Anestesia e Terapie Intensive, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Pisana, Pisa, Italy
| | - Veli-Pekka Harjola
- Emergency Medicine, Meilahti Central University Hospital, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Matthias Heringlake
- Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
| | - Antoine Herpain
- Department of Intensive Care, Hôpital Erasme, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Leo M. A. Heunks
- Department of Intensive Care Medicine, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Tryggve Husebye
- Department of Cardiology, Oslo University Hospital Ullevaal, Oslo, Norway
| | - Višnja Ivancan
- Department of Anaesthesiology, Reanimatology and Intensive Care, University Hospital Centre, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Kristjan Karason
- Departments of Cardiology and Transplantation, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Sundeep Kaul
- Intensive Care Unit, National Health Service, Leeds, United Kingdom
| | - Matti Kivikko
- Global Medical Affairs, R&D, Orion Pharma, Espoo, Finland
| | - Janek Kubica
- Department of Cardiology and Internal Medicine, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Torun, Poland
| | - Josep Masip
- Intensive Care Department, Consorci Sanitari Integral, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | | | - Alexandre Mebazaa
- Department of Anaesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, AP-HP, Saint Louis and Lariboisière University Hospitals, Paris, France
| | | | - Fabrizio Oliva
- Department of Cardiology, Niguarda Ca'Granda Hospital, Milan, Italy
| | - Julius G. Papp
- MTA-SZTE Research Group of Cardiovascular Pharmacology, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary
| | - John Parissis
- Second Department of Cardiology, Attikon University Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Alexander Parkhomenko
- Emergency Cardiology Department, National Scientific Centre MD Strazhesko Institute of Cardiology, Kiev, Ukraine
| | - Pentti Põder
- Department of Cardiology, North Estonia Medical Centre, Tallinn, Estonia
| | - Gerhard Pölzl
- Department of Internal Medicine III, Cardiology and Angiology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Alexander Reinecke
- Klinik für Innere Medizin III, Kardiologie, Universitätsklinikum Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel, Germany
| | - Sven-Erik Ricksten
- Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Hynek Riha
- Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, Cardiothoracic Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care, Institute for Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Alain Rudiger
- Department of Medicine, Spittal Limmattal, Schlieren, Switzerland
| | | | - Robert H. G. Schwinger
- Medizinische Klinik II, Klinikum Weiden, Teaching Hospital of University of Regensburg, Weiden, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Toller
- Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria
| | - Luigi Tritapepe
- Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Division, San Camillo-Forlanini Hospital, Rome, Italy
| | - Carsten Tschöpe
- Department of Cardiology, Campus Virchow Klinikum, Charité—University Medicine Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Gerhard Wikström
- Institute of Medical Sciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Dirk von Lewinski
- Department of Cardiology, Myokardiale Energetik und Metabolismus Research Unit, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria
| | - Bojan Vrtovec
- Department of Cardiology, Advanced Heart Failure and Transplantation Centre, University Clinical Centre, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Piero Pollesello
- Critical Care Proprietary Products, Orion Pharma, Espoo, Finland.
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Cholley B, Levy B, Fellahi JL, Longrois D, Amour J, Ouattara A, Mebazaa A. Levosimendan in the light of the results of the recent randomized controlled trials: an expert opinion paper. CRITICAL CARE : THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE CRITICAL CARE FORUM 2019; 23:385. [PMID: 31783891 PMCID: PMC6883606 DOI: 10.1186/s13054-019-2674-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2019] [Accepted: 11/14/2019] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Despite interesting and unique pharmacological properties, levosimendan has not proven a clear superiority to placebo in the patient populations that have been enrolled in the various recent multicenter randomized controlled trials. However, the pharmacodynamic effects of levosimendan are still considered potentially very useful in a number of specific situations. Patients with decompensated heart failure requiring inotropic support and receiving beta-blockers represent the most widely accepted indication. Repeated infusions of levosimendan are increasingly used to facilitate weaning from dobutamine and avoid prolonged hospitalizations in patients with end-stage heart failure, awaiting heart transplantation or left ventricular assist device implantation. New trials are under way to confirm or refute the potential usefulness of levosimendan to facilitate weaning from veno-arterial ECMO, to treat cardiogenic shock due to left or right ventricular failure because the current evidence is mostly retrospective and requires confirmation with better-designed studies. Takotsubo syndrome may represent an ideal target for this non-adrenergic inotrope, but this statement also relies on expert opinion. There is no benefit from levosimendan in patients with septic shock. The two large trials evaluating the prophylactic administration of levosimendan (pharmacological preconditioning) in cardiac surgical patients with poor left ventricular ejection fraction could not show a significant reduction in their composite endpoints reflecting low cardiac output syndrome with respect to placebo. However, the subgroup of those who underwent isolated CABG appeared to have a reduction in mortality. A new study will be required to confirm this exploratory finding. Levosimendan remains a potentially useful inodilator agent in a number of specific situations due to its unique pharmacological properties. More studies are needed to provide a higher level of proof regarding these indications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bernard Cholley
- Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care MedicineP, Hôpital Européen Georges Pompidou, AP-HP, 20 rue Leblanc, 75015, Paris, France. .,Université Paris Descartes - Université de Paris, Paris, France. .,INSERM UMR_S1140, Paris, France.
| | - Bruno Levy
- CHRU Nancy, Réanimation Médicale Brabois, Vandoeuvre-les Nancy, France
| | - Jean-Luc Fellahi
- Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care, Hôpital Cardiologique Louis Pradel, Lyon, France.,INSERM U1060, University Claude Bernard, Lyon, France
| | - Dan Longrois
- Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care, Hôpital Bichat-Claude Bernard, AP-HP, Paris, France.,Université Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, France
| | - Julien Amour
- Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Hôpital de La Pitié Salpêtrière, AP-HP, Paris, France.,University Pierre & Marie Curie, Paris, France
| | - Alexandre Ouattara
- Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care, Magellan Medico-Surgical Center, Bordeaux, France.,University of Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France.,INSERM, UMR 1034, Biology of Cardiovascular Diseases, Bordeaux, France
| | - Alexandre Mebazaa
- Université Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, France.,Department of Anesthesia, Burn and Critical Care, Hôpitaux Universitaires Saint Louis Lariboisière, AP-HP, Paris, France
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