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Novel drug therapies for atrial fibrillation

Nature Reviews Cardiology volume 21, pages 275–276 (2024)Cite this article

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Atrial fibrillation is the most common sustained arrhythmia and imposes a substantial burden on patients and health-care providers. Clinical evidence suggests that antiarrhythmic therapy to restore and maintain sinus rhythm (rhythm control) can reduce adverse cardiovascular outcomes in patients with new-onset atrial fibrillation. As a result, a paradigm shift towards rhythm control over rate control therapy is emerging, increasing the clinical need for effective and safe antiarrhythmic drugs.

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Fig. 1: Mechanisms of atrial cardiomyopathy and potential antiarrhythmic therapy targets.

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Acknowledgements

F.W. received support from the German Cardiac Society, German Heart Foundation/German Foundation of Heart Research, Joachim-Herz Foundation and Health+Life Science Alliance Heidelberg Mannheim, including state funds approved by the State Parliament of Baden-Württemberg. C.S received support from the German Heart Foundation, German Center for Cardiovascular Research, German Ministry of Education and Research and Else-Kröner Fresenius Foundation. C.S. and F.W. are members of the CRC1425 and CRC1550, funded by the German Research Foundation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Cardiology, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany

    Felix Wiedmann & Constanze Schmidt

  2. DZHK (German Center for Cardiovascular Research), partner site Heidelberg/Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany

    Felix Wiedmann & Constanze Schmidt

  3. HCR, Heidelberg Center for Heart Rhythm Disorders, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany

    Felix Wiedmann & Constanze Schmidt

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  1. Felix Wiedmann
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Correspondence to Constanze Schmidt.

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Competing interests

F.W. and C.S. have filed patent applications for TASK1-based gene therapy and for pharmacological TASK1 inhibition for the treatment of cardiac arrhythmias. C.S. has filed a patent application for interventional nanoparticle-based antiarrhythmic therapeutic strategies and has received research funding from Boehringer Ingelheim.

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Wiedmann, F., Schmidt, C. Novel drug therapies for atrial fibrillation. Nat Rev Cardiol 21, 275–276 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41569-024-01004-2

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