AstraZeneca's decision to cease production of quinidine sulfate in May 2006 has made it increasingly difficult to obtain this medication for the treatment of arrhythmias.
In May 2006, AstraZeneca decided to stop the production of quinidine sulfate. 1 Consequently, it is becoming increasingly difficult to obtain quinidine supplies in many countries. To our knowledge, neither the Heart Rhythm Society nor the European Heart Rhythm Association was informed in advance of this decision. According to the web-page posted by AstraZeneca, 1 the decision to cease production was taken ‘as the demand for their quinidine product declined considerably due to the availability of newer, more effective alternatives’. Indeed, newer class IC and class III drugs replaced quinidine in the treatment of atrial fibrillation, whereas the implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) replaced practically all antiarrhythmic drugs in the treatment of ventricular arrhythmias associated with … *Corresponding author. Tel: +972 3 6974413; fax: +972 3 6974416. E-mail address: saviskinattasmc. health. gov. il
Viskin et al. (Fri,) conducted a editorial in Atrial fibrillation and ventricular arrhythmias. Quinidine sulfate was evaluated. AstraZeneca's decision to cease production of quinidine sulfate in May 2006 has made it increasingly difficult to obtain this medication for the treatment of arrhythmias.