Sacubitril/valsartan was shown to be superior to enalapril in the Prospective Comparison of angiotensin receptor neprilysin inhibitor with an angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor to Determine Impact on Global Mortality and Morbidity in Heart Failure (PARADIGM-HF) study. However, the study design raised uncertainty about the potential real-world tolerability amongst less well selected cohorts. We aimed to examine the real-world tolerability and factors associated with successful titration of sacubitril/valsartan.

We performed a retrospective single centre analysis in a tertiary referral centre of 235 consecutive patients prescribed sacubitril/valsartan between August 2016 and January 2018.

At baseline, our patients were younger, had lower baseline systolic blood pressure (SBP), reduced ischaemic aetiology and a higher rate of mineralocorticoids receptor antagonist compared to PARADIGM-HF. At last assessment, 120 patients (51%) reached target dose (97/103 mg bi-daily [BD]), 67 patients (29%) were stable on a mid-range dose (≥49/51 mg BD), 22 patients (9%) tolerated the low dose (24/26 mg BD) and 26 patients (11%) discontinued, comparable to PARADIGM-HF. Adverse effects were similar to PARADIGM-HF and hypotension remained the primary reason of sub-maximal titration. Several baseline characteristics were associated with successful titration to target dose including; higher baseline body mass index, systolic blood pressure (SBP) and sodium, male gender and treatment coordinated by multidisciplinary heart failure (HF) clinic.

Comparable results to PARADIGM-HF in attaining target dose of sacubitril/valsartan and tolerability profile can be achieved in a real-world setting. Several baseline characteristics involving patient factors, markers of disease severity and systems of care predict successful titration to the target dose 97/103 mg BD.