Tikosyn Safety and the Elderly

Almost half of patients who participated in clinical trials for Tikosyn were 65 to 89 years old. Overall, no differences in safety were seen between elderly and younger adult patients.

Tikosyn

• Tikosyn is the brand name for dofetilide, a drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of certain irregular heartbeats, called atrial fibrillation.

Atrial Fibrillation

• Atrial fibrillation affects about 2.2 million Americans and is the most common "serious" abnormal heart rhythm in people aged 65 or older, according to the American Heart Association. The incidence of atrial fibrillation increases with age.

Kidney Function

• The prescribing information for Tikosyn does not recommend any dose adjustment based on a patient's age. The dosage of Tikosyn, however, does need adjustments based on creatinine clearance, which is a measure of how well your kidneys clear drugs from your bloodstream. Elderly patients are more likely to have decreased kidney function than younger patients.

Testing

• Creatinine clearance is determined through a simple blood test. Your doctor will individualize your dosage of Tikosyn based on the results of this testing.

Starting Therapy

• Pfizer, the makers of Tikosyn, recommends that patients of all ages begin Tikosyn therapy in a medical setting, for a minimum of three days, where trained hospital staff can provide continuous heart monitoring and creatinine clearance calculations as well as provide cardiac resuscitation if necessary.