Dofetilide dose reductions and discontinuations in women compared with men

Compared with men, women have longer corrected QT (QTc) intervals, lower clearance of dofetilide, and higher rates of drug-induced torsades de pointes, but the dofetilide dosing algorithm is the same for men and women.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the tolerability of the 500 μg twice daily dose of dofetilide for men and women.

Men and women admitted to Duke University Medical Center (January 1, 2006, to October 19, 2012) for the initiation of dofetilide 500 μg twice daily were matched 1:1 on age and estimated creatinine clearance. Electrocardiograms throughout dosing were analyzed, and rates of dofetilide discontinuations and dose reductions were compared in unadjusted and adjusted analyses.

For 220 matched men and women, the median age was 62.5 years (interquartile range 55-69 years) and the median eCrCl was 98.1 mL/min (interquartile range 77.6-126.2 mL/min). Women were less likely than men to have hypertension and interventricular conduction delay but were otherwise similar. During dofetilide initiation, women were more likely than men to have their dofetilide dose discontinued or reduced (55% vs 32%; P < .001). In most women (82%) and men (69%), the reason for dose adjustment was significant QTc prolongation. In the adjusted analysis, female sex was associated with higher rates of dofetilide dose discontinuations or reductions (odds ratio 3.01; 95% confidence interval 1.58-5.71; P < .01).

More than half of women who initiated on 500 μg twice daily of dofetilide required medication discontinuations or dose reductions, mostly because of QTc prolongation. Additional studies are needed to evaluate the optimal dosing algorithm of dofetilide in women.