Old drugs for heart failure nearly halve deaths in black people

Adding a dose of isosorbide dinitrate plus hydralazine to standard treatment for advanced heart failure can help black people live longer, shows a study. However, adding an angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor to the optimal treatment of stable heart disease offers no extra benefits.

Findings from two new studies were published this week to coincide with the annual meeting of the American Heart Association in New Orleans.

Researchers in the first study terminated their study …