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Amiodarone is effective for maintaining sinus rhythm in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF), but it has substantial side effects and a very long half-life. Dronedarone, an antiarrhythmic agent pharmacologically similar to amiodarone, was developed with the aim of reducing side effects. In two industry-sponsored, randomized, controlled, double-blind trials conducted in 18 countries, researchers compared the efficacy of dronedarone and placebo for maintaining sinus rhythm in 1237 patients with AF. The primary endpoint was time from randomization to first documented recurrence of AF, and secondary endpoints were symptoms related to AF and heart rate during first recurrence.
At 12 months, 64% of the dronedarone group and 75% of the placebo gr…