Study: Drug Can Help Mild Heart Failure

A drug used for people with advanced heart failure also can benefit those with milder symptoms, new research has found. The drug is eplerenone (Inspra). It helps to block fluid buildup in the body. The study included 2,700 people with mild heart failure. Everyone was treated with standard drugs. They also were randomly assigned to receive eplerenone or placebo (fake) pills. In the next year, people taking the drug were 37% less likely to die or require a hospital stay than people who took the placebo. The study was published online by the New England Journal of Medicine. The Associated Press wrote about it November 15.