Multiple placebo-controlled trials have demonstrated that intravenous vernakalant, a novel antiarrhythmic agent, effectively converts recent-onset atrial fibrillation in ∼50% of patients within 90 min of administration. Results from the AVRO trial corroborate these findings and further show that vernakalant is superior to amiodarone in the treatment of this condition.
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S. M. Samii declares no competing interests. G. V. Naccarelli declares that he has received modest (less than $10,000) consultant fees/honoraria from AstraZeneca, BioCritique, Biosense Webster, Blue Ash, Daiichi-Sankyo, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Gilead, GlaxoSmithKline, Medtronic, Merck, Novartis, Ortho-McNeil-Janssen, Otsuka Pharmaceutical, Pfizer, Portola, St Jude Medical, and Xention. He has also received significant ($10,000 or more) consultant fees/honoraria from Boehringer Ingelheim and Sanofi-Aventis. G. V. Naccarelli declares that he has also received a modest (less than $10,000) research grants from Astellas, and significant ($10,000 or more) research grants from Boehringer Ingelheim and GlaxoSmithKline.
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Samii, S., Naccarelli, G. AVRO—were the results a surprise?. Nat Rev Cardiol 8, 188–190 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrcardio.2011.29
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrcardio.2011.29
