Digitoxin can help heart patients, especially in low-income countries
A recent study has revealed that digitoxin—a medicine made from the foxglove plant—can seriously lower deaths and hospital stays for people with heart failure.
The results, shared at the European Society of Cardiology Congress 2025 and published in The New England Journal of Medicine, mark the first solid scientific proof that digitoxin is both effective and safe.
How digitoxin can help heart patients
The DIGIT-HF trial followed over 1,200 patients for three years and found digitoxin especially helpful for those with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF).
With a price tag of just ₹2-3 per tablet, it's affordable and is particularly useful for people with kidney issues since it's processed by the liver.
Experts believe that, if used carefully, digitoxin could really improve quality of life for many heart failure patients—especially in countries like India where this condition is widespread.