Amiodarone belongs to a class of drugs called Vaughan-Williams Class III antiarrhythmic agent. It is used in the treatment of a wide range of cardiac tachyarhthmias, including both ventricular and supraventricular (atrial) arrhythmias.

History

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Amiodarone was initially developed in 1961 in Belgium as a treatment for angina. It was widely used throughout Europe as an anti-anginal medication, and was soon found to suppress arrhythmias.

Dr. Bramah Singh determined that amiodarone and sotalol belonged to a new class of antiarrhythmic agents (what would become the class III antiarrhythmic agents) that would prolong repolarization of the cardiac action potential. Based on this, the Argentinian physician Dr. Mauricio Rosenbaum began using amiodarone to treat his patients who suffered from supraventricular and ventricular arrhythmias, with impressive results. Based on papers written by Dr. Rosenbaum, physicians in the United States began prescribing amiodarone to their patients with potentially life-threatening arrhythmias in the late 1970s. By that time, amiodarone was commonly prescribed throughout Europe for the treatment of arrhythmias. Because amiodarone was not approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use in the United States at the time, physicians were forced to directly obtain amiodarone from pharmaceutical companies in Canada and Europe.

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