Ancient Heart Med Digoxin Falls Short in Latest Trial: what it means
Researchers tracked a combination of worsening heart failure episodes and cardiovascular deaths. While patients taking digoxin experienced 19% fewer total events, the difference failed to reach statistical significance, meaning it could have occurred by chance. The drug showed no advantage in reducing cardiovascular deaths specifically. The findings challenge earlier hints that lower doses of digoxin might help without the safety concerns linked to higher levels. Although the treatment proved safe and caused few side effects, it did not meet the study's primary goal. For patients with reduced heart function, the results leave questions about whether this historic medication deserves a place alongside newer therapies. Digoxin stands as one of cardiovascular medicine's oldest drugs. Yet significant new research suggests it can not provide the clear benefit doctors had hoped for in modern heart failure treatment. The DECISION trial followed 1,001 patients with chronic heart failure for over three years, comparing low-dose digoxin against a placebo.
As presented at the 2026 ESC Heart Failure Congress, in a large randomized controlled trial in patients with heart failure with reduced or m