Verquvo (vericiguat): Heart Failure Drug Side Effects & Interactions

What is Verquvo (vericiguat), and what is it used for?

Verquvo (vericiguat) is a prescription medicine used in adults who are having symptoms of their chronic (long-lasting) heart failure, who have had a recent hospitalization or the need to receive intravenous (IV) medicines and have an ejection fraction (amount of blood pumped with each heartbeat) of less than 45 percent:

• to reduce the risk of dying and
• to reduce the need to be hospitalized

What are the side effects of Verquvo?

WARNING

EMBRYO-FETAL TOXICITY

Females of reproductive potential: Exclude pregnancy before the start of treatment. To prevent pregnancy, females of reproductive potential must use effective forms of contraception during treatment and for one month after stopping treatment. Do not administer Verquvo to a pregnant female because it may cause fetal harm.

The most common side effects of Verquvo include:

• low blood pressure
• low red blood cells (anemia)

These are not all the possible side effects of Verquvo. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

Is Verquvo addictive?

No information provided

What is the dosage for Verquvo?

• The recommended starting dose of Verquvo is 2.5 mg orally once daily with food.
• Double the dose of Verquvo approximately every 2 weeks to reach the target maintenance dose of 10 mg once daily, as tolerated by the patient.
• For patients who are unable to swallow whole tablets, Verquvo may be
  crushed and mixed with water immediately before administration.

Pregnancy Testing In Females Of Reproductive Potential

• Obtain a pregnancy test in females of reproductive potential prior
  to initiating treatment with Verquvo.

What drugs interact with Verquvo?

Other Soluble Guanylate Cyclase Stimulators

• Verquvo is contraindicated in patients with concomitant use of other
  soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC) stimulators.

PDE-5 Inhibitors

• Concomitant use of Verquvo with PDE-5 inhibitors is not recommended
  because of the potential for hypotension.

Verquvo contraindications, and pregnancy and breastfeeding safety

Verquvo may cause birth defects if taken during pregnancy.

• Females must not be pregnant when they start taking
  Verquvo.
• Females who are able to get pregnant:
  • Your healthcare provider will do a pregnancy test to make sure that you are not pregnant before you start taking
    Verquvo.
  • You must use effective forms of birth control during treatment and for 1 month after you stop treatment with
    Verquvo. Talk to your healthcare provider about forms of birth control that you may use to prevent pregnancy during treatment with
    Verquvo.
  • Tell your healthcare provider right away if you become pregnant or think you are pregnant during treatment with
    Verquvo.

Do not take Verquvo if you:

• are taking another medicine called a soluble guanylate cyclase stimulator (sGC). Ask your healthcare provider if you are not sure if you are taking an sGC medicine.
• are pregnant. See “What is the most important information I should know about
  Verquvo?”

Before you take Verquvo, tell your healthcare provider about all your medical conditions, including if you:

• are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. It is not known if
  Verquvo passes into your breast milk. Do not breastfeed if you take
  Verquvo. Talk with your healthcare provider about the best way to feed your baby if you take
  Verquvo.

Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Certain other medicines may affect how
Verquvo works.