Efficacy and tolerance of ethmozine^® (moricizine HCl) in placebo-controlled trials

To investigate the tolerance and efficacy of moricizine HCl, single-blind placebo-controlled trials were conducted. The early protocols involved patients hospitalized for 14 days, and daily Holter monitoring was used to document efficacy and the degree of spontaneous variability of ventricular premature complexes (VPCs). Moricizine HCl was given orally from 2.9 to 15.3 mg/kg 3 times daily. Patients with lethal ventricular arrhythmias were excluded. Additional outpatient trials were conducted to define long-term efficacy and safety. A dose-response relation between moricizine HCl and the percentage of reduction in frequency of benign or potentially lethal ventricular arrhythmias was documented. Eighty-five percent of patients achieved a reduction in VPCs > 75% with daily dosages ranging from 10.1 to 15 mg/kg. This corresponded to a 95% decrease in mean frequency of VPCs. Long-term studies demonstrated no evidence of compromise in left ventricular function, and the proarrhythmic rate was only 2%. Symptomatic side effects were mild and usually well tolerated. Nausea, the most common, occurred in 11% of patients and dizziness in 9%. These results indicate that moricizine HCl is an effective and well-tolerated antiarrhythmic agent.