Verinurad Plus Allopurinol for Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction: The AMETHYST Randomized Clinical Trial.

Abstract

Importance: Elevated serum uric acid (SUA) level may contribute to endothelial dysfunction; therefore, SUA is an attractive target for heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). However, to the authors' knowledge, no prior randomized clinical trials have evaluated SUA lowering in HFpEF.

Objective: To investigate the efficacy and safety of the novel urate transporter-1 inhibitor, verinurad, in patients with HFpEF and elevated SUA level.

Design, setting, and participants: This was a phase 2, double-blind, randomized clinical trial (32-week duration) conducted from May 2020 to April 2022. The study took place at 59 centers in 12 countries and included patients 40 years and older with HFpEF and SUA level greater than 6 mg/dL. Data were analyzed from August 2022 to May 2024.

Interventions: Eligible patients were randomized 1:1:1 to once-daily, oral verinurad, 12 mg, plus allopurinol, 300 mg; allopurinol, 300 mg, monotherapy; or placebo for 24 weeks after an 8-week titration period. Allopurinol was combined with verinurad to prevent verinurad-induced urate nephropathy, and the allopurinol monotherapy group was included to account for allopurinol effects in the combination therapy group. All patients received oral colchicine, 0.5 to 0.6 mg, daily for the first 12 weeks after randomization.

Main outcomes and measures: Key end points included changes from baseline to week 32 in peak oxygen uptake (VO2), Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire total symptom score (KCCQ-TSS), and SUA level; and safety/tolerability (including adjudicated cardiovascular events).

Results: Among 159 randomized patients (53 per treatment group; median [IQR] age, 71 [40-86] years; 103 male [65%]) with median (IQR) N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide level of 527 (239-1044) pg/mL and SUA level of 7.5 (6.6-8.4) mg/dL, verinurad plus allopurinol (mean change, -59.6%; 95% CI, -64.4% to -54.2%) lowered SUA level to a greater extent than allopurinol (mean change, -37.6%; 95% CI, -45.3% to -28.9%) or placebo (mean change, 0.8%; 95% CI, -11.8% to 15.2%; P < .001). Changes in peak VO2 (verinurad plus allopurinol, 0.27 mL/kg/min; 95% CI, -0.56 to 1.10 mL/kg/min; allopurinol, -0.17 mL/kg/min; 95% CI, -1.03 to 0.69 mL/kg/min; placebo, 0.37 mL/kg/min; 95% CI, -0.45 to 1.19 mL/kg/min) and KCCQ-TSS (verinurad plus allopurinol, 4.3; 95% CI, 0.3-8.3; allopurinol, 4.5; 95% CI, 0.3-8.6; placebo, 1.2; 95% CI, -3.0 to 5.3) were similar across groups. There were no adverse safety signals. Deaths or cardiovascular events occurred in 3 patients (5.7%) in the verinurad plus allopurinol group, 8 patients (15.1%) in the allopurinol monotherapy group, and 6 patients (11.3%) in the placebo group.

Conclusions and relevance: Results of this randomized clinical trial show that despite substantial SUA lowering, verinurad plus allopurinol did not result in a significant improvement in peak VO2 or symptoms compared with allopurinol monotherapy or placebo in HFpEF.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04327024.