Dose Ranging Study of Celivarone With Amiodarone as Calibrator for the Prevention of Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD) Interventions or Death (ALPHEE)

Inclusion criteria :

• Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD) patients with a Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction (LVEF) of 40% or less AND one of the following criteria:

  • at least one ICD therapy for Ventricular Tachycardia (VT) OR
  • Ventricular Fibrillation (VF) in the previous month OR
  • ICD implantation in the previous month for documented VT/VF

Exclusion criteria :

• Patients of either sex aged below 21 years (or the age of legal consent of the country),
• Women of childbearing potential without adequate birth control or pregnant or breastfeeding women
• Patients with known ICD lead problem (lead dislodgement)

• ICD without the following characteristics :

  • data logging function with cumulative counting of device intervention (shocks and antitachycardia pacing [ATP])
  • electrogram storage capabilities
  • ventricular demand pacing.
• Recent unstable angina pectoris or myocardial infarction (< 4 weeks),
• History of torsades de pointes,
• Genetic channelopathies including congenital long QT syndrome,
• Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome,
• Patients in unstable hemodynamic condition such as acute pulmonary edema within 12 hours prior to start of study medication; cardiogenic shock; treatment with intravenous pressor agents; patients on respirator; congestive heart failure of stage New York Heart Association (NYHA) IV within the last 4 weeks; uncorrected, hemodynamically significant primary obstructive valvular disease; hemodynamically significant obstructive cardiomyopathy; a cardiac operation or revascularization procedure within 4 weeks preceding randomization,
• Incessant sustained VT/VF (VT/VF that recurs promptly despite termination attempts) during the three days preceding randomization.
• Patients with inappropriate (not triggered by VT nor VF) shocks during the month preceding randomization.
• Clinically relevant haematologic, hepatobiliary (ALT, AST > 3 times the upper limit of normal at randomization), gastro-intestinal, renal (serum creatinine > 221 µmol/l (2.5 mg/dl) at randomization), pulmonary, endocrinologic or psychiatric disease.
• Patients treated with oral amiodarone (more than 20 tablets during the 2 months preceding randomization)

The above information is not intended to contain all considerations relevant to a patient's potential participation in a clinical trial.