RecruitingPhase 4

Vericiguat and Reverse Remodeling Indices in Heart Failure

Slovenia60 participantsStarted 2025-11-01

Plain-language summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to investigate how vericiguat benefits adults with stable heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) who are already receiving guideline-directed medical therapy. The main questions are: * Does vericiguat improve right ventricular systolic function, measured by tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE)? * Does vericiguat favourably influence myocardial remodeling, fibrosis, angiogenesis, inflammation, metabolism, renal function, and hematologic balance? * Do genetic and oxidative stress profiles modify treatment response? Researchers will compare a group receiving vericiguat plus usual care with a group receiving usual care alone to assess structural, functional, and biomarker changes over 12 months. Participants will: * Have blood drawn at baseline and follow-up visits for biomarker, metabolomic, genetic, transcriptomic, and hematologic analyses, including platelet function testing * Perform oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTT) to assess insulin resistance * Undergo echocardiography, cardiac magnetic resonance imaging, and cardiac scintigraphy to evaluate heart structure, function, and perfusion * Attend follow-up visits at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months Open-label extension: After the 12-month randomized phase, participants originally assigned to usual care will be offered open-label vericiguat and followed for an additional 12 months. This exploratory extension will reassess study outcomes to evaluate the consistency and magnitude of response to vericiguat in the prior control cohort.

Who can participate

Age range

18 Years

Sex

ALL

See this in plain English?

AI-rewrites the medical criteria so a patient or caregiver can understand them. Always confirm with the trial site.

Inclusion Criteria: * Written informed consent from an adult patient (≥ 18 years old) to participate in the clinical study, * Stable HFrEF defined as no heart failure worsening in the 6 months before randomization that required hospitalization or outpatient diuretic treatment, * Confirmed diagnosis of chronic heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (LVEF ≤ 40%, confirmed by echocardiography) within 12 months before randomization, * Stable GDMT for HFrEF for at least 3 months prior to randomisation. Exclusion Criteria: * Systolic blood pressure \< 100 mmHg or symptomatic hypotension, * Current or planned use of long-acting nitrates, soluble guanylate cyclase stimulators, or phosphodiesterase type V inhibitors, * Known allergy/hypersensitivity to soluble guanylate cyclase stimulators, * Awaiting heart transplantation or dependence on continuous inotropic therapy * Cardiac amyloidosis, sarcoidosis, myocarditis, stress cardiomyopathy, or tachycardic cardiomyopathy, * Acute coronary syndrome, coronary artery bypass grafting, or percutaneous coronary intervention in the past three months before randomisation, * Long-term mechanical circulatory support of the left ventricle, * Active infection, * Chronic kidney disease stage 4 or 5, and * Advanced liver failure classified as Child-Pugh B or C.

Questions worth asking your doctor

Bring these to your next appointment. They're a starting point for a shared conversation — not a sign you qualify or a recommendation to enrol.

1Based on my diagnosis and history, is this trial worth exploring for me — or is there a standard treatment we should try first?
2What does this trial's phase tell us about how much is already known about its safety and benefit?
3What would taking part actually involve for me — visits, tests, time, and travel?
4What are the known and possible risks or side effects I should weigh, and how would they be monitored?
5If this trial isn't the right fit, what other options or trials would you suggest I look into?

Generated to help you prepare — always confirm anything about your own eligibility and care with the study team and your doctor.

Questions for the trial coordinator

The trial coordinator is the person who runs the study day to day. These cover the practical side — logistics, costs, and what taking part would actually mean for your life. The study team confirms whether you meet the criteria; these are questions to ask, not a sign you qualify.

1What does taking part actually involve week to week — how many visits, where, and how long does each one take?
2What costs are covered by the study, and what might I have to pay for myself, including travel, parking, or time off work?
3What happens during screening, and what happens if the study team confirms I don't meet the criteria after those tests?
4Who pays for the scans, blood work, and other tests the trial requires — the study, my insurance, or me?
5How will being in the trial affect my regular care, and will my own doctor stay informed and involved?
6Can I leave the trial at any point if I change my mind, and what would happen to my care if I do?

A starting point for the conversation — always confirm anything about your own eligibility, costs, and care with the study team and your doctor.

What they're measuring

Change in right ventricular systolic function assessed by right ventricular fractional area change (RV FAC)

Timeframe: Baseline to 6 months and 12 months

Trial details

NCT IDNCT07405944

SponsorUniversity Medical Centre Ljubljana

Sponsor typeOTHER

Study typeINTERVENTIONAL

Primary completion2027-07-31

Contact for this trial

Tine Bajec, MD

051727249 tine.bajec@kclj.si

View on ClinicalTrials.gov More Heart Failure With Reduced Ejection Fraction (HFrEF) trials