Safety and Efficacy Study of Once and Twice Daily Doses of MCC-135 in Subjects With Congestive Heart Failure.

In recent years the usefulness of angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors and vasodilators as well as beta-blockers has been realized in the treatment of heart failure. Multi-center studies clinical trials have shown some benefit of angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors on the morbidity and mortality of heart failure subjects, and physicians are also prescribing angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors for the initial treatment of subjects with left ventricular dysfunction. Some subjects do not respond to angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors and intolerance to these compounds has also been observed. Despite the significant reduction in mortality observed in limited controlled studies, the 5-year mortality of subjects with congestive heart failure continues to be high, indicating that there is a significant therapeutic gap in the treatment of this disease.

MCC-135 is being studied to assess its usefulness as a supplement or replacement to current treatment and to provide subjects with specific and predictable therapy that will reverse the remodeling of the diseased heart and markedly improve the subject's survival. The current study is an exploratory clinical trial to determine the efficacy of two doses and two dose regimens of MCC-135 when compared to placebo by evaluating improvement in the subject's plasma b-type (brain) natriuretic peptide levels, regular rate (heart rate) variability and clinical signs and symptoms.