The results from a recent U.K. animal study suggest that tadalafil, the active ingredient in Cialis, might be useful in treating heart failure.
Cialis isn’t just for treating erectile dysfunction anymore. New research indicates that tadalafil, the active ingredient in Cialis, could help to slow the progression of heart failure, a serious medical condition that affects roughly 5.7 million Americans.
Heart failure, also known as congestive heart failure, is a condition in which the heart is no longer able to effectively pump oxygen-rich blood to all the organs in the body that need that oxygenated blood to function properly.
Cited in 1 of Every 9 US Deaths
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, heart failure was listed as a contributing cause in one out of every nine deaths in 2009. And roughly half of the American men and women diagnosed with heart failure die within five years of diagnosis.
The most recent evidence of tadalafil’s ability to ease the symptoms of heart failure comes from an animal study conducted by researchers at England’s University of Manchester. Sheep were selected as ideal animal candidates for the study because their hearts are similar in structure to those of human hearts.
Earlier Studies Showed Promise
In a statement released when the study was published, lead author Andrew W. Trafford said that scientists already had “evidence from human trials and epidemiological studies that show tadalafil can be effective in treating heart failure. This study provides further confirmation, adds mechanistic details, and demonstrates that tadalafil could now be a possible therapy for heart failure.”
Researchers induced heart failure in sheep that were then given doses of tadalafil similar in strength to those given to humans being treated for ED. After only about three weeks of treatment, they found that the drug restored the heart’s ability to respond to adrenaline, thus improving its ability to pump blood. The University of Manchester researchers published their findings in the May 2019 issue of Scientific Reports.
Already Prescribed for Other Ills
In addition to its use in treating erectile dysfunction, tadalafil has also been approved for the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia, a noncancerous enlargement of the prostate gland. It is also used to treat pulmonary arterial hypertension, a form of high blood pressure that targets the lungs.
While the University of Manchester study looked specifically at the effects of tadalafil in treating heart failure, it’s conceivable that the active ingredients in other PDE5 inhibitors, such as Viagra and Levitra, might also have similar effects.
If the restorative effects of tadalafil that were observed in the animal study can be replicated in future clinical studies with human subjects, this could lead to the use of tadalafil or other PDE5 inhibitors to treat heart failure. But further studies must be undertaken to reach that goal.
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