Nesiritide: a novel approach for acute heart failure.

Objective: To review preclinical and clinical information related to nesiritide, a recombinant form of B-type natriuretic peptide approved for treatment of acutely decompensated heart failure.

Data Sources: Primary and review articles were identified by MEDLINE search (1966-May 2002) using the key words natriuretic peptide and heart failure, and through secondary sources. Natrecor's document submitted for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) New Drug Application were obtained from the FDA Web site.