[Pharmacokinetics of the new Soviet anti-arrhythmia preparation etacizin]

Ten patients without marked abnormalities on the part of the liver and kidneys were examined for the pharmacokinetics of a new Soviet antiarrhythmic drug etacizin. The drug was injected intravenously at a rate of 0.5-0.8 mg/kg bw. The blood required for determining drug concentrations was taken 1, 2, 3 and 4 hours after drug jet injection. It was demonstrated that the drug half-life was on the average 164 +/- 24.7 min, exceeding 2 times the half-life of etmozine, a drug of the same series applied to the treatment of some forms of heart rhythm abnormalities.