Severe Dermatologic Reactions Reported After Treatment with Tocainide

Excerpt

Tocainide is a class I antiarrythmic drug with electrophysiologic characteristics similar to those of lidocaine. It is administered orally for suppression of symptomatic ventricular arrhythmias. Tocainide has been marketed in the United States since November 1984. (Tonocard; Merck Sharp & Dohme, West Point, Pennsylvania. The use of trade names is for purposes of product identification only and is not intended as product endorsement by the Food and Drug Administration [FDA] or the Department of Health and Human Services.) Among the well-recognized, serious adverse reactions reported after tocainide are blood dyscrasias and pulmonary fibrosis (1). We report a possible association between