Self-Administered Etripamil Safe, Effective for Paroxysmal Supraventricular Tachycardia

FRIDAY, Sept. 29, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Investigational etripamil nasal spray is well tolerated for self-treating recurrent episodes of paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia (PSVT) without medical supervision, according to a study published online Sept. 27 in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

James E. Ip, M.D., from Weill Cornell Medicine and the NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital in New York City, and colleagues conducted an open-label extension of the phase 3 NODE-301 to assess the safety and efficacy of the L‐type calcium channel blocker etripamil. The analysis included 105 patients who were monitored via a self-applied cardiac monitoring system for five hours after etripamil self-administration for PSVT.

The researchers found that during a median 232 days of follow-up, the probability of conversion within 30 minutes of etripamil was 60.2 percent (median time to conversion, 15.5 minutes) among 188 PSVT episodes (92 patients) positively adjudicated as atrioventricular nodal-dependent by independent electrocardiogram analysis. Forty patients self-treated two PSVT episodes, and among these participants, three-quarters had a significantly consistent response by 30 minutes, nine did not convert on either episode, and 21 converted on both episodes. Treatment-emergent adverse events occurred in 42.9 percent of patients, which were generally transient and mild-to-moderate (e.g., nasal congestion [14.3 percent], nasal discomfort [14.3 percent], or rhinorrhea [12.4 percent]). Within 24 hours of etripamil self-administration, no serious cardiac safety events were seen.

"This is a potential new and exciting option for patients to safely self-treat their rapid heartbeat without direct medical supervision to avoid emergency room visits and medical interventions," Ip said in a statement.

Several authors disclosed ties to pharmaceutical companies, including Milestone Pharmaceuticals, which manufactures etripamil and funded the study.

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