Study: Valsartan Doesn’t Aid Heart Rhythm

A blood pressure drug, valsartan, may not help to prevent a dangerous heart rhythm problem. That’s the conclusion of a new study. The study included 1,442 people with a history of atrial fibrillation. In people with this problem, the upper chambers of the heart don’t beat normally. Instead, they quiver. Half of those in the study were given valsartan. The other half received placebos (fake pills). In the next year, the rhythm problem occurred at the same rate in both groups. Experts told HealthDay News that valsartan still might be useful for particular patients. The study appeared April 16 in the New England Journal of Medicine.