Old drug offers new hope for CHF
Old drug offers new hope for CHF
Formerly used for hypertension
A drug first approved in 1988 for the treatment of hypertension is gaining acceptance as an effective therapy for congestive heart failure (CHF) patients who do not respond to diuretics or digitalis.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration in Rockville, MD, approved lisinopril for treating CHF and acute myocardial infarction in late 1995. The drug benefits CHF patients by suppressing the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system. Lisinopril, manufactured under the brand name Zestril by Zeneca Pharmaceuticals in Wilmington, DE, also inhibits the production of the angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE).
Single doses of lisinopril resulted in decreases in pulmonary capillary wedge pressure, systemic vascular resistance, and blood pressure in CHF patients receiving digitalis and diuretics. The drug also results in an increase in cardiac output without a change in heart rate.
ACE inhibitors, including lisinopril, may cause angioedema of the face, extremities, lips, tongue, and larynx. Angioedema may occur at any time and usually affects African Americans at a higher rate than Caucasians.
[For more information on lisinopril, contact: Zeneca Pharmaceuticals, 1800 Concord Pike, Wilmington, DE 19897. Telephone: (302) 886-3000.]
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