Lessons from Lisbon on AHF drug treatment: Is it really true that all-old-failed-all-new-will-succeed?

摘要

The authors of this letter, a pre-clinical scientist, a translational researcher, and a clinical trialist, just returned back from a particularly interesting annual meeting of the Heart Failure Society of the ESC in the gorgeous city of Lisbon. In the program, ample space was also dedicated to drugs for the treatment of acute heart failure (AHF) and large audiences enjoyed lectures, discussions, posters, industry-sponsored satellites and expert panels focused on the past, present and future of diuretics, vasodilators and inotropes. It's indeed a hot topic, as it has been for many years.We three have been active in our respective research fields for at least two decades each and reacted, again, to a disturbing phenomenon which in waves appears in the scientific community: the paean for "all-old-failed-all-new-will-succeed" pervading all discussions, being them focused on molecular targets or on clinical trials.Taking a helicopter view over two decades or preclinical, translational and clinical research, and having seen several molecules coming into use, we would like to recommend caution to our colleagues.