Verquvo

Vericiguat is a stimulator of soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC). Heart failure is associated with impaired synthesis of nitric oxide (NO) and decreased activity of its receptor, sGC. Soluble guanylate cyclase catalyses synthesis of intracellular cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP), an important signalling molecule that regulates critical physiological processes such as cardiac contractility, vascular tone, and cardiac remodelling. Deficiency in sGC-derived cGMP contributes to myocardial and vascular dysfunction. Vericiguat restores the relative deficiency in this signalling pathway by directly stimulating sGC, independently of and synergistically with NO, to augment the levels of intracellular cGMP, which may improve both myocardial and vascular function. The complementary cardiovascular benefits of vericiguat in heart failure patients are therefore attributed to the active restoration of the deficient NO-sGC-cGMP pathway driving heart failure progression.