Finerenone Improves Outcomes in Patients With Heart Failure With Mildly Reduced or Preserved Ejection Fraction Irrespective of Age: A Prespecified Analysis of FINEARTS-HF

Background: Finerenone improves outcomes in patients with heart failure and mildly reduced or preserved ejection fraction. It is important to understand the efficacy and safety of finerenone in these patients according to age.

Methods: The aim of this analysis was to evaluate the interaction between age and the efficacy and safety of finerenone in the FINEARTS-HF trial (Finerenone Trial to Investigate Efficacy and Safety Compared to Placebo in Patients With Heart Failure). A total of 6001 patients aged 40 to 97 years were stratified by quartile (Q1-Q4) of baseline age: Q1, 40 to 66 years (n=1581); Q2, 67 to 73 years (n=1587); Q3, 74 to 79 years (n=1421); and Q4, ≥80 years (n=1412). FINEARTS-HF evaluated the impact of age on the efficacy of finerenone with respect to the primary composite outcome of cardiovascular death and total (first and recurrent) heart failure events, including heart failure hospitalization or urgent heart failure event, along with secondary efficacy and safety outcomes.

Results: The incidence of primary outcomes increased with age. Finerenone reduced the risk of the primary outcome consistently across all age categories: rate ratio in Q1, 0.70 (95% CI, 0.53-0.92); Q2, 0.83 (95% CI, 0.64-1.07); Q3, 0.98 (95% CI, 0.76-1.26); and Q4, 0.85 (95% CI, 0.67-1.07); P_interaction=0.27. Similarly, a consistent effect was observed for the components of the primary outcome. The mean increase in Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire-total symptom score from baseline to 12 months was greater with finerenone than placebo, with a consistent effect across all age categories: mean placebo-corrected change in Q1, 2.87 (95% CI, 1.09-4.66); Q2, 1.24 (95% CI, -0.59 to 3.07); Q3, 0.94 (-0.98 to 2.86); and Q4, 1.24 (-0.90 to 3.38); P_interaction=0.50. Adverse events were similar across all age categories. The odds of experiencing hypotension, elevated creatinine, or hyperkalemia (increased) or hypokalemia (decreased) related to finerenone did not differ by age.

Conclusions: In the FINEARTS-HF trial, finerenone reduced the primary outcome and components of the primary outcome and improved symptoms across a wide age spectrum. In addition, finerenone was safe and well-tolerated, irrespective of age.

Registration: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov; Unique identifiers: NCT04435626 and EudraCT 2020-000306-29.