Bisoprolol suitable for first-line treatment of CHF

Results of the CIBIS III study showed that bisoprolol is effective as a first-line therapy for the treatment of chronic heart failure (CHF). In the study, which was presented at the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Annual Congress [Stockholm, Sweden; September 2005] and subsequently published in Circulation, initial treatment of CHF with bisoprolol followed by co-administration with enalapril produced similar rates of survival and hospitalisation as first-line therapy with enalapril followed by add-on bisoprolol. "The CIBIS III result supports a free choice of initial treatment for CHF - enalapril or bisoprolol - based on the physician's individual judgment in each patient," concluded the researchers.