Corvert Injection (ibutilide fumarate injection)
The following drug information is obtained from various newswires, published
medical journal articles, and medical conference presentations.
irregular contractions of the heart
General Information
Covert Injection was approved to treat atrial fibrillation and
atrial flutter, two common arrhythmias that cause irregular
contractions of the heart. Covert is indicated for the rapid
conversion of atrial fibrillation or atrial flutter to normal sinus
rhythm.
Clinical Results
The results of two, large, placebo-controlled, double-blind and
randomized clinical trials demonstrated that, compared with
placebo, Corvert Injection successfully and rapidly converted
atrial fibrillation and flutter to normal rhythm. In a third study
conducted in Europe, Covert compared favorably with another
intravenous antiarrhythmic agent currently unavailable in the
United States
Side Effects
A small number of subjects (1.7%) treated with Covert developed
sustained polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (PVT), an arrhythmia
of the ventricles. This side effect is common to antiarrhythmic
agents used to treat atrial fibrillation and flutter and is
potentially life threatening. However, the small number of subjects
who developed PVT were successfully treated with electrical
cardioversion.
Additional Information
The atria are the upper chambers of the heart. They receive
blood from the body and lungs; they load the ventricles, the
primary pumping chambers of the heart; and they regulate, with
electrical currents, the pace of contraction (heart beat) for the
entire heart. Atrial fibrillation and flutter are common
arrhythmias that cause irregular contractions of the heart. Alone,
the conditions are not considered life-threatening. But they can
lead to decreased cardiac output, congestive heart failure and low
blood pressure in some subjects. Atrial fibrillation is a risk
factor for embolic stroke. Prevalence of these arrhythmias
increases with age. Atrial fibrillation affects 0.4% of Americans
under the age of 60 and 2% to 4% of those over 60 years of age.
Electrical cardioversion is the primary treatment option for
subjects who would benefit from rapid conversion of atrial
fibrillation and flutter to normal sinus rhythm. The procedure,
which delivers an electrical current to the heart, requires
anesthesia to minimize subject discomfort.