OVERTURE: omapatrilat equivalent, but not superior, to enalapril

Eagerly awaited preliminary results from the OVERTURE* study have demonstrated that the experimental vasopeptidase inhibitor omapatrilat ['Vanlev'] is as effective as the ACE inhibitor enalapril ['Vasotec'] in the treatment of moderate-to-severe heart failure. Data presented at a late-breaker symposium at the 51st Annual Scientific Sessions of the American College of Cardiology (ACC) [Atlanta, US; March 2002] showed a 6% reduction in the combined incidence of mortality and hospitalisation for heart failure with omapatrilat, compared with enalapril; the difference was not statistically significant. Furthermore, the incidence of angioneurotic oedema [angioedema], a potentially life-threatening adverse event, was higher in omapatrilat recipients than in patients treated with enalapril. This echoed recently disclosed results from the landmark OCTAVE** study, in which the incidence of angioneurotic oedema was also higher with omapatrilat than with enalapril, when the two drugs were evaluated in patients with hypertension.