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Adding ARB May Benefit Heart Failure Patients

The 3-drug combination of candesartan (ARB), enalapril
(ACE inhibitor), and metoprolol (beta-blocker) improves
heart function in CHFers more than any 2 of the same
drugs.
	426 CHFers were studied from RESOLVD - the
Randomized Evaluation of Strategies for Left Ventricular
Dysfunction Pilot Study. In that trial, patients took
either candesartan, enalapril, or both. Later, they added
metoprolol or placebo.
	The 3-drug therapy improved heart size and EF
more than one or 2-drug therapies. However, all the drug
combinations that included metoprolol significantly
reduced heart rate.
	Whether the cardiac effects seen with 3-drug
therapy actually improve the lives of heart failure
patients will not be known until larger trials are done.

Source:  Reuters Health.
Source:  Eur Heart J 2003;24:1727-1734.