Tolvaptan effective in hyponatremia studies

Japanese drugmaker Otsuka Pharmaceutical says that the results of two trials of its developmental hyponatraemia treatment tolvaptan, indicate its safety and efficacy in normalizing the blood sodium levels of patients suffering from the condition.

The findings, which are from the SALT 1 & 2 trials and were published in the most recent edition of the New England Journal of Medicine, demonstrated that the drug significantly improved serum sodium concentration in subjects who had developed the illness as a result of heart failure, cirrhosis, or those suffering from SIADH (syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion).

Robert Schrier, a professor at the USA's University of Colorado's division of renal disease and hypertension and chair of the program's safety committee, said: "with mounting evidence showing that hyponatremia, commonly seen in a variety of diseases, is correlated with a poor prognosis and even death, there is a stronger need for safe and effective medications to normalize serum concentrations."