How the Heart Works
Flecainide acetate (fle KAY nide) is a class Ic antiarrhythmic agent used to prevent and treat tachyarrhythmias (abnormal fast rhythms of the heart). It is used to treat a variety of cardiac arrhythmias including paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (episodic irregular heartbeat originating in the upper chamber of the heart), paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia (episodic rapid but regular heartbeat originating in the atrium), and ventricular tachycardia (rapid rhythms of the lower chambers of the heart). Flecainide works by regulating the flow of sodium in the heart, causing prolongation of the cardiac action potential.
Flecainide acetate (Tambocor) is the focus of the book Deadly Medicine by Thomos J. Moore (Simon and Schuster 1995) which chronicles the drug's development, FDA approval and marketing history from 1972 to 1994. It asserts that neglect and cover-ups on the part of the pharmaceuticals, academics and FDA officials involved in its approval and marketing led to the deaths of 50,000 - 200,000 people who took the drug.
Flecainide was originally sold under the trade name Tambocor (manufactured by 3M pharmaceuticals). Flecainide went off-patent on February 10th, 2004, and is now available under the trade names Almarytm, Apocard, Ecrinal, and Flécaine. It is also available generically.