COPERNICUS

Published

Packer M, et al. "Effect of Carvedilol on the Morbidity of Patients With Severe Chronic Heart Failure". Circulation. 2002. 106(17):2194-9.
PubMed • Full text • PDF

Clinical Question

In patients with HFrEF and NYHA class III-IV symptoms, does carvedilol improve survival?

Bottom Line

Carvedilol reduces risk of death or HF hospitalization by 31% compared to placebo in class III-IV HF with EF <25%.

Major Points

The role of beta-blockers in the treatment of chronic compensated HFrEF has been well established in trials like CIBIS-II (1999) and MERIT-HF (1999). The role of beta-blocker use in patients with severely reduced EF was unclear.

The 2002 Carvedilol Prospective Randomized Cumulative Survival (COPERNICUS) trial randomized 2,289 patients with EF <25% to carvedilol or placebo. At 10.4 months, carvedilol had a clear reduction in annual mortality rates compared to placebo (12.8% vs. 19.7% P=0.00013; NNT=15) as well as reductions in rehospitalizations and cardiogenic shock.

Guidelines

AHA/ACCF Heart Failure Guidelines (2013, adapted)

• Use of bisoprolol, carvedilol, or metoprolol sustained release for all patients with current or prior symptomatic HFrEF unless contraindicated (class I, level A)

Design

• Double-blind, parallel-group, randomized, placebo-controlled trial
• N=2,289
  • Carvedilol (n=1,156)
  • Placebo (n=1,133)
• Mean follow-up: 10.4 months
• Analysis: Intention-to-treat
• Primary outcome: Annual mortality

Population

Inclusion Criteria

• Dyspnea or fatigue at rest or on minimal exertion for >2 months (effectively NYHA class III-IV symptoms)
• Ischemic or nonischemic HFrEF
• LVEF <25%
• Appropriate medical therapy, including:
  • Diuretics, dose-adjusted to achieve euvolemia (absence of rales, minimal peripheral edema)
  • ACE inhibitor or ARB (unless not tolerated)
  • Digitals, nitrates, hydralazine, spironolactone, and amiodarone allowed but not required

Exclusion Criteria

• Volume overload
• Acute illness requiring continued hospitalization
• Therapy with IV inotropic agents within 4 days of screening

Interventions

• Randomly assigned to carvedilol or placebo in addition to usual HF therapy
• Starting dose of carvedilol 3.125mg BID
  • Increased at 2-week intervals to target 25mg BID dose
  • Dose reduced or held as clinically appropriate
• Followed every 2 months until end of study
• Investigators could add any agent except open label beta-blocker

Outcomes

Comparisons are carvedilol vs. placebo.

Primary Outcomes

Annual mortality

12.8% vs. 19.7% (RR 0.65; 95% CI 0.52-0.81; P=0.00013; NNT=15)

Secondary Outcomes

Death or hospitalization

36.7% vs. 44.7% (RR 0.76; 95% CI 0.67-0.87; P<0.001)

Death or CV hospitalization

30.2% vs. 41.6% (RR 0.73; 95% CI 0.63-0.84; P=0.00002)

Death or HF hospitalization

25.5% vs. 37.9% (RR 0.69; 95% CI 0.59-0.81; P=0.000004)

HF hospitalization

17.1% vs. 23.7% (P=0.0001)

CV hospitalization

21.3% vs. 27.7% (p=0.0003)

Any hospitalization

32.2% vs. 38.1% (P=0.003)

Adverse Events

Serious adverse events

39% vs. 46% (P=0.002)

HF

17% vs. 24% (P<0.001)

Sudden death

3.9% vs. 6.1% (P=0.16)

Hypotension

1.9% vs. 1.6% (P=0.57)

Cardiogenic shock

0.4% vs. 1.7% (P=0.003)

Bradycardia

1.5% vs. 1.2% (P=0.63)

Funding

Funding provided by Roche Pharmaceuticals and GlaxoSmithKline.