Sudden Cardiac Death

The search for an effective new drug

Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is the single largest cause of death in the UK and other developed countries. In half of victims, death is the first symptom.

The lethal event is ventricular fibrillation (VF), a cardiac arrhythmia. The last time an antiarrhythmic drug was trialled for SCD was in the early 1990s. Two large clinical trials (CAST and SWORD) of antiarrhythmic drugs were disastrous, with the drug doubling death rate. Since then the sector has been risk averse and no new drugs for SCD have emerged.

There is confusion in the sector due to a lack of viable innovative concepts and linked proof-of-principle studies.

VF is highly unpredictable given that it is the first symptom of disease in half the victims (more than 70,000 people per annum in the UK) and therefore conceptually, if any effective new drug were to be developed, it would need to be used as pre-treatment and be extraordinarily safe.

There is a lack of viable innovative concepts and linked proof-of-principle studies

Clinical unmet need

Coronary heart disease (ischaemic heart disease; IHD) is the leading cause of death both in the UK and worldwide. It is the most common cause of death in most western countries.

In the UK alone, there are an estimated 2.3 million people living with the IHD condition and around 2 million people affected by symptoms of angina at risk of heart failure. Given the complex life-style causes underlying atherosclerosis, the outlook is one of increasing need and patient demand for more effective cardiovascular medication.

In half of victims, death is the first symptom. The lethal event is ventricular fibrillation (VF), a cardiac arrhythmia.

There is an outstanding and foreseeable clinical need to improve medication in the emergency management of ventricular fibrillation / cardiac arrest and in aspects of continuing cardiovascular care.

In half the victims, the first symptom of Ventricular Fibrillation is death