The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 279 No 7470 p318
22 September 2007

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Carvedilol for children

Children and adolescents with heart failure do not appear to benefit from treatment with carvedilol.

Researchers tested the drug against placebo in 161 young people who were also treated with conventional heart failure medicines. In each group a similar percentage of patients improved, worsened or were unchanged in terms of heart failure outcomes.

However, a subgroup analysis indicates a possible beneficial effect for patients with a systemic left ventricle dysfunction (JAMA 2007;298:1171).