Novel Pulmonary Delivery of Drugs for the Management of Atrial Fibrillation

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most prevalent cardiac arrhythmia, affecting approximately 335 million patients worldwide. Comprehensive pharmacological treatment of AF includes medications for rate or rhythm control and anticoagulants to reduce the risk of thromboembolism; yet, these agents have significant limitations. Oral anti-arrhythmic agents have a slow onset of action, and rapid onset formulations require hospitalization for intravenous therapy. Orally administered drugs also require high doses to attain therapeutic levels, and thus dose-related severe adverse effects are often unavoidable. Given the therapeutic benefits of inhaled drug delivery, including rapid onset of action and very low doses to achieve therapeutic efficacy, this review will discuss the benefits of novel pulmonary delivery of drugs for the management of AF.