Other Medicines Beneficial in Heart Failure

NHSL Medicines Guidance
NHS Lanarkshire

Sodium Glucose Co-Transporter 2 Inhibitors (SGLT2 Inhibitors) for Heart Failure

Specialist initiation (S1)

DAPAGLIFLOZIN

SMC accepted indications:

  1. In adults for the treatment of symptomatic chronic heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (SMC2322).
  2. In adults for the treatment of symptomatic chronic heart failure with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) >40% (SMC2577). 

EMPAGLIFLOZIN

SMC accepted indications:

  1. In adults for the treatment of symptomatic chronic heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (SMC2396).
  2. In adults for the treatment of symptomatic chronic heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (left ventricular ejection fraction [LVEF] >40%) (SMC2523).

Prescribing Notes:

Please refer to the NHS Lanarkshire guideline: Chronic Heart Failure - Pharmacological Treatment Guideline for additional guidance.

Sodium Glucose Co-Transporter 2 Inhibitors (SGLT2 Inhibitors) are also included in the NHS Lanarkshire guidelines SGLT2i For Treatment Of Chronic Kidney Disease – Guidance Notes and Management of patients with T2DM and CV disease, Heart Failure or Diabetic Kidney Disease, as well as in Chapter 6 of the formulary, under Antidiabetic Drugs.

NHSL Joint Adult Formulary Key

To indicate the category of a formulary medicine, updated sections adopt the following key:

Preferred list (P): First-line formulary choices.

Total list (T): Alternative choices when preferred list options not effective/not tolerated, or not indicated.

Specialist initiation (S1): Specialist initiation, or on the advice of a Consultant or Specialist Practitioner in this therapeutic area. Continuation in primary care is acceptable.

Specialist use only (S2): Supply via hospital, Homecare Service or a hospital based prescription (HBP) for dispensing by community pharmacy. Not prescribed in primary care setting.

Editorial Information

Last reviewed: 31/01/2022

Next review date: 30/06/2026

Author(s): NHSL.

Version: Please refer to the introduction section for an explanation of the review dates above.

Approved By: ADTC

Reviewer name(s): ADTC.