Jul 8, 2009 4:15 pm US/Eastern
Health: Treating A Common Heart Problem
PHILADELPHIA (CBS 3) ―
There is new help for patients with a common heart problem. Medical Reporter Stephanie Stahl has more.
For 17 years Joseph Rubin's heart often skipped a beat. He has atrial fibrillation, a form of arrhythmia.
"There's just nothing out there that's working for me," said Joseph.
Now a new drug called Multaq, manufactured by Sanofi-Aventis, may be the answer to help the two and a half million Americans dealing with atrial fibrillation.
"If this thing was the flu we'd call it an epidemic," said Dr. Ken Stein, a cardio electrophysiologist.
Sometimes the heart produces extra electric impulses causing an irregular heartbeat. When the heart is out of rhythm it doesn't pump blood efficiently.
"It can pool and form deadly clots," said Dr. Stein.
Even though the drug is safe for most people, it failed to get FDA approval in 2006. The tests back then showed it could be dangerous for high risk patients. It's not recommended for people with serious heart disease, but doctors see huge benefits for others because it has fewer side effects than other medicines.
"We just can't wait until it's available in the pharmacy to give to people," said Dr. Stein.
For Joe, it's an option he's been waiting for.
"It's nice to know there's a backup available. It's huge," said Joseph.
In the latest round of testing, the drug reduced hospitalization and death from the heart-related problems by 24 percent, and it lowered the risk of stroke by 34 percent. The medication will carry a black box warning for heart failure patients.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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