Vericiguat

What is Vericiguat?[edit]

Vericiguat VERQUVO is a soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC) stimulator, used in adults who are having symptoms of their chronic (long-lasting) heart failure.

File:Vericiguat Structural formula V1.svg

What are the uses of this medicine?[edit]

This medicine is used in adults who are having symptoms of their chronic (long-lasting) heart failure, who have had a recent hospitalization or the need to receive intravenous (IV) medicines and have an ejection fraction (amount of blood pumped with each heartbeat) of less than 45 percent:

to reduce the risk of dying and
to reduce the need to be hospitalized

How does this medicine work?[edit]

Vericiguat is a stimulator of soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC), an important enzyme in the nitric oxide (NO) signaling pathway.
When NO binds to sGC, the enzyme catalyzes the synthesis of intracellular cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP), a second messenger that plays a role in the regulation of vascular tone, cardiac contractility, and cardiac remodeling.
Heart failure is associated with impaired synthesis of NO and decreased activity of sGC, which may contribute to myocardial and vascular dysfunction.
By directly stimulating sGC, independently of and synergistically with NO, vericiguat augments levels of intracellular cGMP, leading to smooth muscle relaxation and vasodilation.

Who Should Not Use this medicine ?[edit]

This medicine cannot be used in patients:

with concomitant use of other soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC) stimulators.
during pregnancy

What drug interactions can this medicine cause?[edit]

Avoid Concomitant use of VERQUVO with PDE-5 inhibitors is not recommended because of the potential for hypotension.
VERQUVO is contraindicated in patients with concomitant use of other soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC) stimulators.

Is this medicine FDA approved?[edit]

It was approved for use in the United States in 2021.

How should this medicine be used?[edit]

Recommended Dosage

The recommended starting dose of VERQUVO is 2.5 mg orally once daily with food.
Double the dose of VERQUVO approximately every 2 weeks to reach the target maintenance dose of 10 mg once daily, as tolerated by the patient.

Administration

Take VERQUVO exactly as your healthcare provider tells you to.
Take VERQUVO 1 time each day with food.
Swallow VERQUVO tablets whole. If you are not able to swallow the tablet whole, you may crush VERQUVO tablets and mix with water right before taking your dose.
Your healthcare provider may change your dose — when you first start taking VERQUVO to find the best dose for you and how well you tolerate VERQUVO.
If you miss a dose, take the missed dose as soon as you remember on the same day of the missed dose. Do not take 2 doses of VERQUVO on the same day to make up for a missed dose.
If you take too much VERQUVO, call your healthcare provider or go to the nearest hospital emergency room right away.

What are the dosage forms and brand names of this medicine?[edit]

This medicine is available in fallowing doasage form:

As Tablets: 2.5 mg, 5 mg and 10 mg

This medicine is available in fallowing brand namesː

VERQUVO

What side effects can this medication cause?[edit]

The most common side effects of this medicine include:

low blood pressure
low red blood cells (anemia)

What special precautions should I follow?[edit]

VERQUVO may cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman.
Advise females of reproductive potential of the potential risk to a fetus.
Obtain a pregnancy test before the start of treatment.
Advise females of reproductive potential to use effective contraception during treatment with VERQUVO and for at least one month after the final dose.

What to do in case of emergency/overdose?[edit]

In the event of an overdose, hypotension may result.
Symptomatic treatment should be provided.
VERQUVO is unlikely to be removed by hemodialysis because of high protein binding.

Can this medicine be used in pregnancy?[edit]

VERQUVO may cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman and is contraindicated during pregnancy.
There are no available data with VERQUVO use in pregnant women.

Can this medicine be used in children?[edit]

Safety and effectiveness of VERQUVO have not been established in pediatric patients.

What should I know about storage and disposal of this medication?[edit]

Store VERQUVO at room temperature between 68°F to 77°F (20°C to 25°C).

This article is a stub related to pharmacology. You can help WikiMD by expanding it!