Large-scale study confirms that millions of people are taking a heart attack drug unnecessarily

"A couple of months ago, their team presented the results of a clinical trial with 8,500 volunteers that showed that beta-blockers drugs that have for decades been prescribed for life after a heart attack provide no benefit whatsoever to the majority of these patients, those who retain their heart's pumping capacity. We're talking about tens or hundreds of millions of people worldwide; it's staggering, says Ibanez, in a room at Spain's National Center for Cardiovascular Research (CNIC) overlooking northern Madrid."

"The researchers' conclusions, however, met with some skepticism. The number two at the Spanish Ministry of Health, family physician Javier Padilla, went so far as to say that there were contradictory articles in this field and even criticized the siren songs of findings that may be very striking. The controversy affects the millions of people who take one or two of these tablets every day."

"The Spanish team announced new results on Sunday, and this time they are irrefutable, according to Ibanez, scientific director of the CNIC. The authors analyzed data from five clinical trials in eight countries, with nearly 18,000 participants, and confirmed their previous conclusion: the ubiquitous beta-blockers are not necessary for patients who, after surviving a heart attack, retain proper heart contractile function."

A clinical trial of 8,500 volunteers found beta-blockers provide no benefit to most heart attack survivors who retain normal cardiac pumping function. A pooled analysis of five clinical trials across eight countries with nearly 18,000 participants confirmed that routine beta-blocker prescription is not necessary for these patients. Beta-blockers remain important and potentially lifesaving for arrhythmias, chronic heart failure, or impaired cardiac function. The drugs lower blood pressure and heart rate but often cause fatigue and decreased libido. Millions of patients may be taking these drugs unnecessarily, prompting debate among clinicians and health authorities.

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