Flosequinan for congestive heart failure: What promise does it hold?

Summary

Flosequinan is a direct-acting vasodilator, but its precise mode of action has not been fully established. It has a balanced effect on the arterial and venous sides of the circulation, which in some ways resembles the effects of sodium nitroprusside. Flosequinan has the appropriate hemodynamic effects in the short term for the relief of heart failure, and a longer term study with repeated hemodynamic measurements has shown that the effect is maintained. Flosequinan has been shown to be superior to placebo in increasing treadmill exercise in patients with moderate to severe heart failure, despite treatment with relatively high doses of diuretics. Anecdotal evidence suggests that the addition of flosequinan to captopril does improve severely ill patients and formal trials are now in progress.