Real world study shows ivabradine significantly improved quality of life in elderly patients with heart failure

Older heart failure patients, prescribed Procoralan^® (ivabradine), have been shown to experience a significant improvement in quality of life (QoL); a key priority in the treatment of heart failure.^1,2 Results from the LIVE:LIFE (oLder heart failure patients Initiated on iVabradinE in the UK: QuaLIty of LIfe) study were presented at the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Heart Failure Congress in Florence. Data showed that the drug, ivabradine, which is indicated in chronic heart failure³ can provide real – life and clinically meaningful improvements in quality of life when prescribed to an older population (≥70 years) of heart failure patients living in the UK.^1,4

LIVE:LIFE, is an open-label, prospective study which enrolled 240 patients from the UK.1 All patients were aged ≥70 years with chronic heart failure in whom ivabradine was initiated for the licensed indication.¹ Quality of Life was assessed via the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire (MLWHFQ) and physical capacity was assessed, when possible, by the 6-minute walk test (6MWT).^1,4

The primary endpoint, change in QoL measured by the MLWHFQ, was significantly improved by –9.02 (p<0.0001, CI –6.91–11.86) at six months compared to baseline.¹ Over the six month period 61% of patients showed no deterioration in their NYHA classification, and more than 30% of patients showed an improvement in their NYHA classification.¹

Dr Paul Kalra, Consultant Cardiologist and the heart failure lead at Portsmouth NHS Trust, and one of the lead investigators for the study, comments, “Quality of life is a fundamental goal in heart failure, particularly in older population of heart failure patients who frequently have co?morbidities and are taking many medications. For these patients how they feel and being able to live as independently as possible is a priority.”

Dr Paul Kalra continued, “Firstly, LIVE:LIFE demonstrates that in a population truly representative of the patients we treat on a daily basis, ivabradine significantly improved quality of life and improved heart failure symptoms; secondly, ivabradine was well tolerated in this population despite the patients being on many other treatments; and thirdly, it gives me confidence that when I am prescribing ivabradine I can tell my patients that it may help them to feel better, and be able to do a little more.”

References

1. Data on File: UK16MSL0012c February 2016.
2. Zachariah D et al. J Geriatric Cardiol 2015;12:165–73.
3. Procoralan Summary of Product Characteristics. Available at. http://medicines.org.uk.
4. Data on File: UK16MSL0012a. February 2016.