Wikipedia
Istaroxime is an investigational drug originally patented and developed by the Italian pharmaceutical company Sigma-Tau. Istaroxime is now under development for treatment of acute decompensated heart failure by CVie Therapeutics, a Taiwanese pharmaceutical company owned by Lee's Pharmaceutical Holdings Limited that in July 2012 has acquired from Sigma-Tau the patents and rights on Istaroxime and related compounds. It is still in early-stage development, having been evaluated in phase two clinical trials. Istaroxime is an innovative medication as it is an effective treatment for both systolic and diastolic heart failure. Systolic heart failure is characterized by impaired ventricular emptying, caused by reduced contractility, and diastolic dysfunction is defined by defective ventricular filling, caused by the heart’s inability to properly relax between beats. Intracellular calcium fluxes regulate both contraction and relaxation. Cardiac muscle cells from patients with heart failure show smaller amounts of peak calcium in their cytoplasm during contraction, and slower removal., The mishandling of intracellular calcium is often due to problems in the cells’ ability to mediate calcium influx, and sequestration of calcium back in the sarcoplasmic reticulum.,