Du Pont Cleared to Market Soviet Drug

Du Pont Co. said Tuesday that it received Food and Drug Administration clearance to market a drug for life-threatening heart rhythm abnormalities that was developed in the Soviet Union.

The drug, to be sold by Du Pont under the name Ethmozine, is the most widely used medication in the Soviet Union for serious rhythm abnormalities, Du Pont officials said at a news conference here.

The drug maker said it has been developing the drug for the U.S. market over the past 16 years.

Du Pont said Ethmozine was well tolerated in the body with only mild side effects and “a good safety profile” compared to other drugs in its class.

About 10 million Americans have serious heart rhythm abnormalities and 300,000 die from them each year, Du Pont said.

The condition develops when heart disease or injury, such as a heart attack or blocked heart arteries, interferes with the heart’s natural rhythms.

The irregular beats are triggered by spurious electrical currents in the body that give the heart muscle confusing signals.