title: Dronedarone: an overview.
abstract: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia encountered in clinical practice. Until recently, a rhythm control strategy for AF has been limited by drug toxicity and side-effects, and landmark AF trials have shown that such a strategy is not superior to a rate control one. New antiarrhythmic drugs, free of undesired effects, would enhance the rhythm control strategy, with the possibility of sinus rhythm restoration and maintenance. One of the promising drugs recently approved for clinical use is dronedarone. This drug has amiodarone-like antiarrhythmic and electrophysiological properties, despite it having a modified structure and lacking an iodine moiety. Thus, dronedarone lacks amiodarone's organ toxicity (including adverse thyroid and pulmonary effects). The efficacy of dronedarone has been investigated in several clinical trials, proving its effect in the prevention of AF recurrence, rate control in paroxysmal/persistent and permanent AF, reduction of cardiovascular hospitalization or death from any cause, and others. Indirect comparisons with amiodarone, as well as one head-to-head study of the two drugs, indicate that the relative safety of dronedarone may be at a cost of its lower antiarrhythmic efficacy compared with amiodarone.
authors: Department of Cardiology and Electrotherapy, Second Chair of Cardiology, Medical University of Gdansk, Poland.
authors: Dariusz
authors: D
authors: Kozlowski
authors: Szymon
authors: S
authors: Budrejko
authors: Gregory Y H
authors: GY
authors: Lip
authors: Dimitri P
authors: DP
authors: Mikhailidis
authors: Jacek
authors: J
authors: Rysz
authors: Grzegorz
authors: G
authors: Raczak
authors: Maciej
authors: M
authors: Banach
mesh_terms: D000638:Amiodarone / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000889:Anti-Arrhythmia Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001145:Arrhythmias, Cardiac / Q000188:drug therapy*; D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D000077764:Dronedarone; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000187:drug effects*; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000889:Anti-Arrhythmia Agents; D000077764:Dronedarone; D000638:Amiodarone