Thorough Qt Trials: Exploring Traditional and Alternate Routes

A prolonged QTc interval is, among other, a predictor of sudden cardiac death. Many cardiac and non-cardiac marketed drugs prolong ventricular repolarization and have the potential to induce life-threatening ventricular tachyarrhythmias. It is generally recognized that some individuals are more susceptible than others to the QT-prolonging effects of drugs even at standard dosage regimen (genetic factors, female gender), and that high blood concentrations (due to overdosage or drug interactions) increase the risk of drug-induced arrhythmias. Drugs that can prolong the QT interval are first belonging to two subsets of the anti-arrhythmic drugs, i.e. the Class Ia (e.g. quinidine and procainamide) and the Class III (e.g. dofetilide, sotalol and amiodarone). Other drugs which can prolong QT interval can be found in many other non-cardiac drug categories, including anti-histamines, antibiotics, gastrointestinal prokinetics, antipsychotics.