Research Matters
at the UA
New Drug is Promising Candidate for
Treatment of Heart Failure
March 7, 2006
From: Daniel Stolte, (520)
626-4083
Researchers at the Sarver Heart Center at The University of Arizona
in
In heart failure, the performance of the heart muscle is
impaired, compromising the heart’s ability to fully expand and contract. As a
result, the heart is no longer able to adequately pump blood to meet the body’s
needs.
The new compound, named DITPA (for Diiodothyropropionic
acid), is chemically related to thyroid hormone, which is produced by the
thyroid gland. Thyroid hormone is known to strengthen the heart’s ability to
contract and relax, which results in improved heart performance. On the
downside, thyroid hormone increases heart rate and stimulates appetite.
Therefore, researchers have had a strong interest in developing thyroid hormone
analogs with fewer undesirable side effects for the treatment of heart
failure.
“The problem with most thyroid analogs is that they
raise the heart rate as a side effect,” says Eugene Morkin, MD, co-director of the
Dr. Morkin’s team isolated the new drug by screening 50
different thyroid analogs for their effects on heart function. DITPA is unique
because it improves cardiac performance both during the contraction and the
relaxation phase of the heart muscle. “DITPA helps the heart fill and empty more
effectively,” says Morkin, who is a professor of medicine in the
Two clinical trials, each including 150 patients, are
underway to investigate the efficacy and safety of the new drug.
Heart failure can result from coronary artery disease,
as is the case in most adult patients, but it can also be caused by
abnormalities in heart muscle structure or function (cardiomyopathies), some of
which are genetic. Current pharmaceutical treatments usually entail a
combination of drugs including diuretics, ACE-Inhibitors and beta-blockers.
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