Tag Archives: dronedarone

Introduction Patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) can benefit from rhythm management to improve unpleasant symptoms or increase exercise capacity,1 making anti-arrhythmic drugs (AADs) an important option in the management of AF. The benefits of any AAD must be weighed against the risks of adverse effects, which in some cases are serious. Defined indications for the use of AADs have been developed by regulatory bodies such as the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which, in addition to guidelines from groups such as the UK National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) and the European So

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The Agency has stated that because of the increased risk of liver, lung, and cardiovascular adverse events, dronedarone, should only be prescribed after alternative treatment options have been considered. It advises that patients currently taking dronedarone should have their treatment reassessed by their physician at their next scheduled visit. Dronedarone is currently approved for the treatment of paroxysmal or persistent atrial fibrillation or atrial flutter. The restriction is based on a review of the PALLAS trial, which was stopped early because of an increased risk of cardiovascular events among patients on dronedarone, as well as other

SAPIEN valve positive results Clinicians have achieved successful one-year outcomes in high-risk or inoperable patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement during the first two years since release of the valve (Sapien®, Edwards) commercially, according to results presented at the Euro PCR 2001 meeting in Paris, France. Despite high predicted mortality and multiple co-morbidities in many of these patients, survival at one year was 76% in the 1,038 patients treated as part of Cohort I (first year of commercialisation), and 77% in the 1,269 patients treated as part of Cohort II (second year of commercialisation).  Since November

NHA joins with BHS The Nurses Hypertension Association (NHA) has become part of the British Hypertension Society (BHS) after the BHS decided to invite nurses working in the field of hypertension and cardiovascular disease to be full members of the society. “This acknowledges the shift of care towards specialist nurses, particularly in primary care,” said Naomi Stetson, former head of the NHA. “In the current economic climate, it also made good business sense to have one united organisation.” All members of the NHA are now full BHS members and so the NHA has disbanded. “There is a strong Nurses Working Party within the society, which

The new guideline, which covers the management of heart failure in adults in primary and secondary care, contains new and updated recommendations on diagnosis, pharmacological treatment, monitoring and rehabilitation. Key priorities for implementation in the guidance include: Referring patients with suspected heart failure and previous myocardial infarction (MI) to transthoracic Doppler 2D echocardiography and specialist assessment within two weeks. Measuring serum natriuretic peptides in patients with suspected heart failure without previous MI; referring those with very high levels of serum natriuretic peptides to urgent transthoracic Dopp

The guidance states: “Although the committee did not change their conclusion that dronedarone is not as effective as other anti-arrhythmic drugs in preventing the recurrence of AF, it accepted evidence that the drug did not lead to an increase in the risk of mortality, unlike the anti-arrhythmics with which it was compared. The Appraisal Committee also noted comments from patients and clinical experts received during consultation on the previous draft that all current anti-arrhythmic drugs, but particularly amiodarone, had side effects which had a significant impact on quality of life with long term use. Overall, the Committee concluded tha

But UK cardiologists and arrhythmia patient/professional groups, led by the Atrial Fibrillation Association and Heart Rhythm UK, have been petitioning to have this draft recommendation overturned. A second NICE meeting on dronedarone was held at the end of February to consider all the comments that have been received, and a final guidance is expected in the next few weeks. As part of the campaign to allow dronedarone to be available for NHS prescription, more than 100 doctors have signed an open letter to NICE setting out reasons why the drug is needed. A Parliamentary Stakeholder Investigation on the issue has been held and a Parliament Earl

JUPITER shows large cardiovascular risk reduction in primary prevention The eagerly awaited landmark JUPITER trial shows that the treatment of apparently healthy patients – who had low levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol but elevated C-reactive-protein (CRP) levels – with rosuvastatin cuts their risk of cardiovascular disease morbidity and mortality by around 50%. The results were the first late-breaking trial data reported here at the AHA 2008 Scientific Sessions and were also published in the New England Journal of Medicine (N Engl J Med 2008; 359: 2195-207). JUPITER was designed as a four-year study but was stopped in