New Nasal Spray for Treating Paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia

According to a study presented at the annual meeting of the Heart Rhythm Society, held from May 10 to 13 in Chicago, an experimental nasal spray, etripamil, has been found to benefit patients with paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia (PSVT),.

The Etripamil spray, was tested in patients with paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia (PSVT)which affects about 500,000 Americans and leads to more than 50,000 hospital visits a year in the United States. At present there is no definite treatment of PSVT that patients can use at home or without medical supervision. The patients have to report to hospital and get treated with adenosine, calcium channel blockers or beta blockers, which must be given intraveneously under monitored setting.

"This study introduces a completely novel therapy that has never been used before, and has the potential to alter how we treat patients with PSVT," said study lead author Dr. Bruce Stambler. He is a cardiac electrophysiologist at Piedmont Heart Institute in Atlanta.

The phase 2 trial included 104 patients from the United States and Canada. The researchers said heart rate was controlled within 15 minutes in 87 percent of patients who received a 70-mg dose of the nasal spray; 75 percent of patients who got 105 mg; and 95 percent of patients given a 140-mg dose. The most common side effects of etripamil were temporary nasal congestion or irritation, according to the researchers.

"This study introduces a completely novel therapy that has never been used before, and has the potential to alter how we treat patients with PSVT," lead author Bruce Stambler, M.D., a cardiac electrophysiologist at Piedmont Heart Institute in Atlanta, said in a news release from the Heart Rhythm Society. "Many patients who suffer from PSVT can experience sudden episodes anytime and anywhere. This fast-acting nasal spray therapy could give patients the convenience to self-administer treatment no matter the location and without having to go to the hospital."

Many patients who suffer from PSVT can experience sudden episodes anytime and anywhere. This fast-acting nasal spray therapy could give patients the convenience to self-administer treatment no matter the location and without having to go to the hospital," Stambler said in a society news release.This is a breakthrough study for domiciliary treatment of PSVT.

Source Milestone Pharmaceuticals Montreal, Canada

Heart Rhythm Scientific Sessions (Heart Rhythm Society)

C-LBCT01-02 / C-LBCT01-02 - Intranasal Etripamil For Conversion Of Paroxysmal Supraventricular Tachycardia (PSVT). Node-1 Trial