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 6 months compared to baseline.1 Over the 6 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".

About Ivabradine Procoralan®

Ivabradine was launched in January 2006 and is a novel class of compound (the first selective sinus node If inhibitor), a selective heart‐rate lowering agent, that reduces heart rate without significantly affecting blood pressure or depressing myocardial contractility.3

Ivabradine is indicated in chronic heart failure NYHA II to IV class with systolic dysfunction, in patients in sinus rhythm and whose heart rate is ≥ 75 bpm, in combination with standard therapy including beta‐blocker therapy or when beta‐blocker therapy is contraindicated or not tolerated.3

In clinical studies, in heart failure patients, ivabradine has demonstrated a good tolerability and safety profile and can be co‐ administrated with most routinely used cardiovascular drugs.3The most common adverse reactions with ivabradine, luminous phenomena (phosphenes) and bradycardia, are dose dependent and related to the pharmacological effect of the medicinal product. Bradycardia was reported by 3.3% of patients particularly within the first 2 to 3 months of treatment initiation.3

About Heart Failure in the Elderly

Chronic heart failure (CHF) is predominantly seen in older patients, and therefore real life medicine often requires the extrapolation of findings from trials conducted in much younger populations.2 The incidence and prevalence of chronic heart failure (CHF) increase with age, with the mean age at diagnosis of CHF in the UK being around 77 years.2