Sanofi aventis (EURONEXT: SAN and NYSE: SNY) announced today that new ESC guidelines for the management of Atrial Fibrillation (AF) have been released and recommend that Multaq® (dronedarone) should be used for maintenance of sinus rhythm as a first-line treatment option in all patients with paroxysmal and persistent AF (class of recommendation I, level of evidence A) other than those with CHF NYHA class III/IV or unstable CHF NYHA class II (class of recommendation III, level of evidence B). Granted a Class I recommendation, this designation is assigned in the guidelines when: “There is evidence and/or general agreement that a given procedure/therapy is beneficial, useful,
and effective.”
The Task Force for the Management of Atrial Fibrillation of the ESC gave it their highest ranking A for level of evidence. Moreover, the guidelines recommend that Multaq® may also be used to achieve rate control in non-permanent AF except for patients with NYHA class III – IV or unstable heart failure (class of recommendation IIa, level of evidence B).
Importantly the new guidelines include, for the first time, a statement on the importance of reducing hospitalisation as a key therapeutic goal in the management of AF. They also state that Multaq® should be considered in order to reduce cardiovascular hospitalisation in patients with non-permanent AF and cardiovascular risk factors (Class of recommendation IIa, level of evidence B) as well as in patients with AF and stable heart failure (NYHA Class I, II) (Class of recommendation IIa, level of evidence C). The guidelines do not recommend use of Multaq® in patients with NYHA class III and IV or with recently unstable (decompensation within the prior month) NYHA class II heart failure.
