AccScience Publishing / JCTR / Online First / DOI: 10.36922/JCTR026260062
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MEDICAL HYPOTHESIS

The translational gap in quadruple heart failure therapy in East and Southeast Asia: Barriers and a proposed phenotype-adapted implementation model

Rafael R. Castillo1,2* Marie Barrientos-Regala1,2 Mary Lauren Europa1,2
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1 Section of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, Manila Doctors Hospital, Manila , Philippines
2 Cardio-Metabolic Research Unit (CaMeRU), FAME Leaders Academy, Makati , Philippines
Received: 25 June 2026 | Revised: 24 August 2026 | Accepted: 25 August 2026 | Published online: 11 September 2026
© 2026 by the Author(s). This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution -Noncommercial 4.0 International License (CC-by the license) ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ )
Abstract

Background: Quadruple guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT) for heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF)—composed of an angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibitor (ARNI) or angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor/angiotensin receptor blocker (ACEi/ARB), an evidence-based beta-blocker, a mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist (MRA), and a sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitor (SGLT2i)—produces complementary reductions in cardiovascular mortality and rehospitalization. Yet implementation across Asian health systems remains highly inconsistent. Aim: To synthesize contemporary implementation data from East and Southeast Asia, identify phenotype-specific and health-system barriers, and propose a testable nurse- or pharmacist-led (NPL) implementation model adapted to HFrEF populations in this subregion. Methods: This article integrated published HFrEF registry, health-economic, and implementation-science literature primarily from Taiwan, Singapore, the Philippines, Vietnam, China, and Japan. The synthesis was narrative and hypothesis-generating; therefore, all projected trial tables are explicitly labeled as simulated planning projections for a proposed cluster-randomized trial. Results: HFrEF care in East and Southeast Asia is constrained by three interacting barriers: (i) out-of-pocket medication costs and reimbursement gaps; (ii) lower body size, lower baseline systolic blood pressure, frailty, and renal-electrolyte vulnerability; and (iii) overextended outpatient infrastructure. We proposed a 3-step predischarge-to-primary-care NPL co-management protocol that starts low-dose foundational therapy before discharge, provides algorithm-driven titration at weeks 2 and 4, and hands over stable patients to primary care by week 6. Conclusion: The HFrEF translational gap in East and Southeast Asia is fundamentally an implementation gap. A phenotype-adapted, protocolized NPL titration pathway deserves prospective testing as a scalable model for improving GDMT optimization across diverse health systems in the subregion. Relevance for patients: Safer and faster optimization of proven heart failure therapies may reduce avoidable rehospitalizations and premature mortality in vulnerable Asian HFrEF populations.

Graphical abstract
Keywords
Heart failure with reduced ejection fraction
Guideline-directed medical therapy
Nurse-led clinic
Pharmacist-led clinic
Implementation science
Vasoactive titration
Resource-limited healthcare
Funding
None.
Conflict of interest
The authors declare no competing interests.
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Journal of Clinical and Translational Research, Electronic ISSN: 2424-810X Print ISSN: 2382-6533, Published by AccScience Publishing