Investigational Pharmacological Treatments for Vascular Calcification

Abstract

In the past decade, significant progress has been made in understanding the medical threats posed by vascular calcification (VC). This recent development comes after a long history of misinterpreting this condition as a mere consequence of aging. As a result, there is presently no pharmacological treatment approved for the prevention or ablation of VC. Patients diagnosed with this chronic and debilitating condition are hence left at a great risk of experiencing serious cardiovascular events. Researchers, however, are ever better understanding the disease's pathophysiology, and promising avenues for drug development have emerged. In this review, recent clinical results of proposed calcification inhibitors are consolidated and selected investigational therapeutics are portrayed. Finally, opportunities for drug development approaches are highlighted and an objective account of challenges that remain in achieving this goal is provided.