CONGESTIVE HEART FAILURE Effectiveness of lmazodan for Treatment of Chronic Congestive Heart Failure

A 12=week, multicenter, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial of imazodan, a type Ill phosphodiisterase inhibitor, was conducted in 147 patients with congestive heart failure to determine clinical efficacy and safety. Patients were randomized to placebo or 2,s or 10 mg of imazodan administered twice daily. Patients were maintained on their standard therapy including diuretics, digoxin and an angiotensinconverting enzyme inhibitor. The mean ejection fraction was 23 f 10%. Exercise time increased from baseline in all 4 groups. There was no significant difference observed between the placebo group and any of the treated groups with regard to exercise time, ejection fraction, frequency of ventrieutar premature complexes or ventricular tachycardia. When analyzed by intent to treat, the placebo mortality was 7% (3 of 44) and the imazodan mortality was 8% (8 of 103) (p = not signifieant). This study failed to demonstrate that imazodan provided any benefit in exercise performance when compared with placebo. (Am J Cardiol 1691;6&631-636)