MK-0448, a Specific Kv1.5 InhibitorClinical Perspective: Safety, Pharmacokinetics, and Pharmacodynamic Electrophysiology in Experimental Animal Models and Humans

Background— We evaluated the viability of I Kur as a target for maintenance of sinus rhythm in patients with a history of atrial fibrillation through the testing of MK-0448, a novel I Kur inhibitor. Methods and Results— In vitro MK-0448 studies demonstrated strong inhibition of I Kur with minimal off-target activity. In vivo MK-0448 studies in normal anesthetized dogs demonstrated significant prolongation of the atrial refractory period compared with vehicle controls without affecting the ventricular refractory period. In studies of a conscious dog heart failure model, sustained atrial fibrillation was terminated with bolus intravenous MK-0448 doses of 0.03 and 0.1 mg/kg. These data led to a 2-part first-in-human study: Part I evaluated safety and pharmacokinetics, and part II was an invasive electrophysiological study in healthy subjects. MK-0448 was well-tolerated with mild adverse experiences, most commonly irritation at the injection site. During the electrophysiological study, ascending doses of MK-0448 were administered, but no increases in atrial or ventricular refractoriness were detected, despite achieving plasma concentrations in excess of 2 μmol/L. Follow-up studies in normal anesthetized dogs designed to assess the influence of autonomic tone demonstrated that prolongation of atrial refractoriness with MK-0448 was markedly attenuated in the presence of vagal nerve simulation, suggesting that the effects of I Kur blockade on atrial repolarization may be negated by enhanced parasympathetic neural tone. Conclusions— The contribution of I Kur to human atrial electrophysiology is less prominent than in preclinical models and therefore is likely to be of limited therapeutic value for the prevention of atrial fibrillation.