Technology

Ventricular Fibrillation (VF)

After a heart attack, the heart muscle supplied by the blocked coronary artery becomes ischaemic.

Arrhythmias that can cause sudden death originate from the dying tissue

Ventricular fibrillation (VF) is the lethal arrhythmia that kills people quickly after the onset of a heart attack (‘cardiac arrest’ or ‘sudden cardiac death’).

BioTherics' new Antiarrhthymic Drug

OCT2013 is a prodrug that is converted to lidocaine only in ischaemic tissue. This means that it can be expected to have no pharmacology outside of ischaemic tissue, and thus a low adverse effect liability.

OCT2013 prevents ischaemia induced VF. In addition, this benefit can be obtained without the production of off-target adverse effects in the heart such as slow heart rate and PR prolongation.

OCT2013 provides better survival than lidocaine because it does not have the off target adverse effects of lidocaine e.g. AV block and cardiovascular depression. OCT2013 will have no adverse effects on cardiac output whereas lidocaine has marked impairment of cardiac output.

OCT2013 has the potential to represent the first of a novel class of ischaemia-activated antiarrhythmic pro-drugs, promising a new and safe way of preventing sudden cardiac death.

OCT2013 promises a new and safe way to prevent sudden cardiac death