News

Informing you of the the following changes made to the QTdrugs List February 25, 2022

The QTdrugs list is dynamic and can change frequently. For that reason and to provide you with the most up-to-date information, AZCERT requires registration for access to the QTdrugs list so you can be informed by email when the list is revised. Please read more to see the latest changes made to the QTDrugs List. To make a quick search of the QTdrugs list for specific drugs we recommend using the CredibleMeds smartphone app (Apple or Android).

"On the QT" provides clinicians, medical students, drug developers and regulators with a basic review of cardiac electrophysiology, the pharmacology of antiarrhythmic drugs, a review of current regulatory guidelines, how to measure the QT and other ECG manifestations of cardiac repolarization as well as possible future direction in these areas.

Drs. C. William (Will) Heise and Raymond Woosley (members of the AZCERT Scientific Advisory Committee) recently published an “Expert Opinion” in the electronic journal Practice Update that is read by thousands of oncologists, cardiologists and oncocardiologists.  The article describes AZCERT's OncoSupport™, a resource for healthcare practitioners that is maintained on the CredibleMeds website.

New evidence for memantine and benperidol (including a thorough QT study, review of case reports, and drug label changes) does not indicate that memantine or benperidol are associated with QT prolongation under normal conditions of use. Therefore these two drugs have been removed from the Possible Risk of Torsades de pointes (TdP) category.  Also, diltiazem has been added to the Conditional Risk of TdP category.

Recent warnings that certain manufacturing lots of several very important medicines have been recalled because the have been found to contain higher than acceptable levels of chemicals known to cause cancer in animals.

If you suspect that you have COVID-19, it is essential that you contact your healthcare provider to confirm the diagnosis and to determine if you are at high-risk of requiring hospitalization. These treatments can reduce the severity of COVID-19 in adults and children and could be life-saving if administered early. Go to the website provided by the US Department of Health and Human Services to learn more…

The SADS Foundation just released a COVID-19 Vaccine statement that recommends that all individuals with SADS conditions receive a vaccination. Michael J. Ackerman, MD, PhD, director of the Long QT Syndrome Clinic and professor of medicine, pediatrics, and molecular pharmacology at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, Minnesota and Chair, Board of Trustees, SADS Foundation said, "I've told all of my patients and every genetic heart patient we talk with at the SADS Foundation (Long QT syndrome, CPVT, Brugada syndrome, ARVC, etc.). If you are 16 years or older, you can get the vaccine, you should get the vaccine, it is safe for your heart."

Three new drugs have been added and one removed from the Possible Risk of TdP category for the QTdrugs list. Two drugs used for prostate cancer (Bicalutamide and Relugolix) and an antibiotic (Linezolid) have been added to the Possible Risk category. The drug combination product, Moexipril and Hydrocholorthiazide, was removed from the Possible Risk of TdP category due to labelling changes and a lack of supporting evidence of an effect on the QT interval.

Today, Tuesday April 6th, AZCERT, the makers of CredibleMeds and MedSafety Scan, will participate in "Arizona Gives Day," a statewide online charitable giving event to inspire people to give generously to nonprofit organizations who make our state and world a healthier and more vital place to live.