The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 269 No 7213 p273
31 August 2002

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European Journal of Heart Failure (more)

Torasemide reduces cardiac mortality

Patients with congestive heart failure (CHF) who are treated with the loop diuretic torasemide (Torem) may have a reduced risk of cardiac mortality compared with patients treated with furosemide, say Spanish researchers (European Journal of Heart Failure 2002;4:507).

They analysed data from 1,377 patients with mild to moderate CHF who were treated with standard CHF therapy plus torasemide 10mg daily, furosemide 40mg daily or other diurectics at the recommended doses. The trial was open-label and patients received treatment in a non-randomised fashion. The researchers found that after 12 months, torasemide treatment was associated with lower all-cause mortality than other diuretic treatments — 17 patients (2.2 per cent) in the torasemide group died compared with 27 (4.5 per cent) in the furosemide/other diuretics group. A lower incidence of cardiac mortality was observed in patients treated with torasemide.

The researchers also report an improvement in cardiac function and a lower incidence of abnormal serum potassium levels in more torasemide-treated patients than furosemide-treated patients. "These data ... provide further support for the concept that some diuretics, by their specific pharmacologic profile, might provide additional benefits in CHF which are beyond their pure diuretic effect." They suggest that the previously reported anti-aldosterone effect of torasemide may account for its ability to reduce mortality in CHF patients.

The study was sponsored by Roche.