Abstract
Drug Utilization Review (DUR) is an essential process for optimizing medication use, ensuring safety and efficacy through continuous evaluation. This study investigates the effectiveness of Vericiguat, a newly FDA-approved drug for heart failure (HF) patients. Vericiguat, a soluble guanylatecyclase stimulator, has shown promise in improving outcomes for HF patients, addressing issues related to impaired nitric oxide signaling. To evaluate the efficacy of Vericiguat, a prospective observational study was conducted in the cardiology department of a tertiary care hospital with 55 heart failure patients. Inclusion criteria included heart failure patients with reduced or preserved ejection fraction, chronic kidney disease, or type II diabetes mellitus, aged 18-75 years. The study followed patients for six months. The majority of patients were male, with most patients aged 66-75 years. The most prescribed dosage of Vericiguat was 2.5 mg OD, primarily for 3 months. Statistical analysis was performed using paired T-test via SPSS software. Significant improvements were observed in EF and SOB stages. Pre-treatment, 43 patients had HFrEF, which reduced to 22 post-treatments. Additionally, 23 patients initially in Stage III SOB improved to either Stage I or Stage II by the end of the study. Paired T-tests showed statistically significant differences in EF (t = 13.072, p < 0.001) and SOB (t = 10.736, p < 0.001) before and after treatment. These findings support the use of Vericiguat as an effective addition to existing HF treatment regimens, especially in patients with HFrEF and HFpEF, showing potential to reduce hospitalizations and cardiovascular events.
Keywords: Drug Utilization Review, Ejection Fraction (EF), Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction (HFpEF), Heart Failure with Reduced Ejection Fraction (HFrEF), Shortness of Breath (SOB), Vericiguat.