A New Treatment for Atrial Fibrillation on the Horizon?

Atrial fibrillation is the most common arrhythmia in most countries and is expected to grow in prevalence as longevity increases. Treatment of AF is targeted at reducing fatigue and increasing exercise tolerance, which require maintenance of sinus rhythm, and at reducing the risk for stroke. However, amiodarone, the antiarrhythmic agent most efficacious in AF, is associated with potentially serious adverse events. In two identically designed, manufacturer-funded, international, prospective trials (one in Europe; the other in the U.S., Canada, Australia, South Africa, and Argentina), investigators compared dronedarone, an agent derived from amiodarone but believed to have fewer adverse effects, with placebo in individuals with AF and without…