Immediate Release (IR) Torsemide is a highly effective natriuretic drug but its short duration of action is a major drawback, which allows significant post-dose sodium retention, and as consequence, limits salt loss in patients with heart failure, unless dietary salt intake is severely restricted. Extended Release (ER) torsemide is being developed to address the drawback by prolonging the duration of action to increase sodium excretion even in patients who consume high salt diet (300 mmol/day).
In addition, IR torsemide induces large and abrupt urination that, in some patients, causes incontinence, and as a result, compliance becomes challenging. ER torsemide is formulated to cause robust but gradual urination over an extended period to reduce accidental wetting and improve compliance.
In this study, ER torsemide is tested for within-subject variability in fully replicate design double-crossover trial in healthy volunteers who are on a 300 mmol/day sodium diet (high salt diet). The primary endpoint of the study is full pharmacokinetics measurements after a single dose of either ER torsemide or IR torsemide (Demadex). The secondary endpoints are 24h sodium excretion and total urinary excretion.
