A clinical trial at Advocate Aurora Research Institute is testing an investigational drug that is meant to reduce inflammation in the body in order to improve heart failure symptoms.
More than 6 million adults in the U.S. live with heart failure, symptoms of which include shortness of breath, coughing or wheezing, fatigue, increased heart rate, swelling, and more.
"Heart failure may result when the heart is unable to pump enough blood to meet the body's needs or when it becomes too stiff to fill properly,” said cardiologist Owais Malick, MD, the study’s principal investigator at Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove, Illinois. “Heart failure can sometimes result from excess inflammation of the blood vessels in the heart muscle, which, over time, can cause heart tissue to stiffen and lose function.”
Prior research suggests that the inflammation of heart muscle tissue could be caused by an inflammatory response to other health problems, such as obesity or hypertension.
“Inflammation is part of the body’s natural healing process. However, too much inflammation or continuous inflammation can create other problems, which may include heart failure in some people” said cardiologist Adam Schuldt, MD, PhD, the study’s principal investigator at Aurora St. Luke’s Medical Center in Milwaukee.
There are currently no approved treatments that reduce the inflammation that can lead to heart failure, although previous studies have shown an injection of a new medicine called ziltivekimab may reduce inflammation throughout the body.
“This clinical trial will evaluate whether ziltivekimab’s ability to reduce inflammation has a positive effect on outcomes in patients with a certain type of heart failure,” said Laura Wrona, MSN, Director of the Research Institute’s Center of Excellence in Cardiovascular Research.
Researchers plan to enroll about 5,600 study participants from sites around the world, including Advocate Good Samaritan and Aurora St. Luke’s.
The study, “A research study to look at how ziltivekimab works compared to placebo in people with heart failure and inflammation (HERMES),” is sponsored by Novo Nordisk, manufacturer of ziltivekimab.
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