TY - JOUR
T1 - Quinidine, a life-saving medication for Brugada syndrome, is inaccessible in many countries
AU - Viskin, Sami
AU - Wilde, Arthur A. M.
AU - Guevara-Valdivia, Milton E.
AU - Daoulah, Amin
AU - Krahn, Andrew D.
AU - Zipes, Douglas P.
AU - Halkin, Amir
AU - Shivkumar, Kalyanam
AU - Boyle, Noel G.
AU - Adler, Arnon
AU - Belhassen, Bernard
AU - Schapachnik, Edgardo
AU - Asrar, Farhan
AU - Rosso, Raphael
AU - Fadreguilan, Erdie C.
AU - Veltman, Christian
AU - Veerakul, G.
AU - Marquez, Manlio
AU - Juneja, Rajnish
AU - Daoulah, Amin Naseem
AU - Caorsi, Walter Reyes
AU - Cuesta, Alejandron
AU - Jensen, Henrik Kjaerulf
AU - Hamad, Adel Khalifa Sultan
AU - Spears, Danna
AU - Lozano, Ignacio Fernández
AU - Urda, Víctor Castro
AU - Peinado, R.
AU - Panduranga, Prashanth
AU - Emkanjoo, Zahra
AU - Bergfeldt, Len
AU - Janousek, Jan
PY - 2013
Y1 - 2013
N2 - The aim of this study was to determine the availability of quinidine throughout the world. Quinidine is the only oral medication that is effective for preventing life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias due to Brugada syndrome and idiopathic ventricular fibrillation. However, because of its low price and restricted indication, this medication is not marketed in many countries. We conducted a survey of the availability of quinidine by contacting professional medical societies and arrhythmia specialists worldwide. Physicians were e-mailed questionnaires requesting information concerning the quinidine preparation available at their hospital. We also requested information concerning cases of adverse arrhythmic events resulting from unavailability of quinidine. A total of 273 physicians from 131 countries provided information regarding the availability of quinidine. Quinidine was readily available in 19 countries (14%), not accessible in 99 countries (76%), and available only through specific regulatory processes that require 4 to 90 days for completion in 13 countries (10%). We were able to gather information concerning 22 patients who had serious arrhythmias probably related (10 cases) or possibility related (12 cases) to the absence of quinidine, including 2 fatalities possibly attributable to the unavailability of quinidine. The lack of accessibility of quinidine is a serious medical hazard at the global level
AB - The aim of this study was to determine the availability of quinidine throughout the world. Quinidine is the only oral medication that is effective for preventing life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias due to Brugada syndrome and idiopathic ventricular fibrillation. However, because of its low price and restricted indication, this medication is not marketed in many countries. We conducted a survey of the availability of quinidine by contacting professional medical societies and arrhythmia specialists worldwide. Physicians were e-mailed questionnaires requesting information concerning the quinidine preparation available at their hospital. We also requested information concerning cases of adverse arrhythmic events resulting from unavailability of quinidine. A total of 273 physicians from 131 countries provided information regarding the availability of quinidine. Quinidine was readily available in 19 countries (14%), not accessible in 99 countries (76%), and available only through specific regulatory processes that require 4 to 90 days for completion in 13 countries (10%). We were able to gather information concerning 22 patients who had serious arrhythmias probably related (10 cases) or possibility related (12 cases) to the absence of quinidine, including 2 fatalities possibly attributable to the unavailability of quinidine. The lack of accessibility of quinidine is a serious medical hazard at the global level
U2 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacc.2013.02.077
DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacc.2013.02.077
M3 - Article
C2 - 23583244
SN - 0735-1097
VL - 61
SP - 2383
EP - 2387
JO - Journal of the American College of Cardiology
JF - Journal of the American College of Cardiology
IS - 23
ER -