Cardiac arrest has been in the news headlines for much of 2023 already. The first major cardiac arrest story covered Damar Hamlin, a US football player on the Buffalo Bills, whose heart suddenly stopped after he completed a routine tackle during a live game on January 2. Another news story covered Lisa Marie Presley, daughter of world-famous singer and actor Elvis Presley, who died on January 12 from cardiac arrest.
Cardiac arrest is when the heart unexpectedly loses function. It can occur without warning and is caused by an electrical disturbance in the heart that stops the heartbeat. It can be caused by conditions including coronary artery disease or arrhythmia, or even a rare occurrence such as commotio cordis, as happened to Damar Hamlin.
There are currently 163 cardiac arrest clinical trials listed in GlobalData’s Pharma Intelligence Center. Non-industry sponsors, all of which are institutions, top the list. Rigshospitalet is the top sponsor with seven trials (Figure 1). Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Asan Medical Center round out the top three institutions at six trials each.
Rigshospitalet, a subsidiary of the University of Copenhagen, is a healthcare service provider that offers treatment and rehabilitation services. It currently has the most completed and ongoing trials in cardiac arrest (three). Its most recent ongoing trials began in October 2020.
The Phase II Steroid Treatment After Resuscitated Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest (STEROHCA) trial is testing Medrol. Medrol, a glucocorticoid, is an anti-inflammatory agent. The trial is expected to enroll 120 patients at two sites in Denmark. Results are expected to be released in the upcoming weeks as the anticipated completion date was January 11, 2023.
