Researchers from King’s College London have discovered a new drug, OCT2013, that could help prevent sudden cardiac death. It works as well as an existing drug, lidocaine, but without the dangerous side effects that limit its use.
Every year in the UK, around 100,000 people die from heart attacks. Many of these deaths happen before an ambulance arrives. The main cause of these sudden deaths is a condition called ischaemia, which occurs when a blockage in a coronary artery stops blood from reaching the heart muscle.
Without enough oxygen, the heart can develop a life-threatening irregular heartbeat known as ventricular fibrillation (VF). This abnormal rhythm prevents the heart from pumping blood effectively, often leading to death within minutes.
Scientists have long searched for drugs that can prevent VF, but most have failed clinical trials because of serious side effects. Lidocaine is one drug that can stop VF, but it also affects other parts of the heart and the nervous system, leading to unwanted complications.
Because of this, lidocaine can only be given through an IV drip in hospitals. It is not useful for treating patients who suffer a heart attack outside of the hospital, which is where most sudden deaths occur.
To find a safer alternative, researchers developed OCT2013, a new drug with a structure similar to lidocaine. They tested this compound in rats with a heart attack to see if it could prevent VF. Their findings were promising.
OCT2013 is different from lidocaine because it is inactive in normal conditions. However, when it reaches an area of the heart that is experiencing ischaemia (low oxygen), it changes into an active form of lidocaine.
This means it only works in the affected part of the heart, preventing dangerous heart rhythms without causing side effects elsewhere in the body.
The study showed that OCT2013 successfully prevented sudden cardiac death in rats. It acted on the electrical signals in the heart’s damaged areas, just like lidocaine, but without its harmful effects on the rest of the heart and nervous system.
Chemical tests confirmed that OCT2013 was converted into lidocaine only in the areas suffering from ischaemia, making it a highly targeted treatment.
This breakthrough introduces a completely new class of drugs that could save lives. If OCT2013 proves effective in human trials, it could lead to a medication that can be given outside of hospitals, possibly even as a simple injection or tablet.
This would be a major step in reducing the number of deaths caused by heart attacks before emergency help arrives.
The research was published in the British Journal of Pharmacology and conducted by Dr. Mike Curtis and his team. Scientists hope that OCT2013 will fill an urgent need for a safer and more effective treatment for heart attack patients.
If you care about heart health, please read studies that vitamin K helps cut heart disease risk by a third, and a year of exercise reversed worrisome heart failure.
For more health information, please see recent studies about supplements that could help prevent heart disease, stroke, and results showing this food ingredient may strongly increase heart disease death risk.
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