Moracizine[1] or moricizine, sold under the trade name Ethmozine, is an antiarrhythmic of class IC.[2] It was used for the prophylaxis and treatment of serious and life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias,[3] but was withdrawn in 2007 for commercial reasons.[4]
In the Cardiac Arrhythmia Suppression Trial (CAST), a large study testing the influence of antiarrhythmics on mortality, showed a statistically non-significant increase of mortality from 5.4 to 7.2% under moracizine. This is in line with other class IC antiarrhythmics.[5]
Synthesis
The reaction between N-phenyl-1,3-benzenediamine (1) and ethyl chloroformate (2) gives the carbamate (3). Treatment with sulfur and iodine forms the phenothiazine derivative (4). Amide formation with 3-chloropropionyl chloride (5) gives the penultimate intermediate (6). Alkylation of morpholine by nucleophilic substitution at the sidechain chlorine yields moricizine.[6][7]
^Ahmmed GU, Hisatome I, Kurata Y, Makita N, Tanaka Y, Tanaka H, et al. (March 2002). "Analysis of moricizine block of sodium current in isolated guinea-pig atrial myocytes. Atrioventricular difference of moricizine block". Vascular Pharmacology. 38 (3): 131–41. doi:10.1016/S1537-1891(02)00213-6. PMID12402511.
^Gritsenko AN, Ermakova ZI, Zhuravlev SV (1972). "Synthesis of ethmozine, a new preparation with antiarrhythmic action". Pharmaceutical Chemistry Journal. 6 (9): 575–576. doi:10.1007/BF00776809.
^"Moracizine". Pharmaceutical Substances. Georg Thieme Verlag KG. Retrieved 2024-07-02.