N-Acetylprocainamide is the N-acetylated metabolite

Metabolite

Metabolites are the intermediates and products of metabolism. The term metabolite is usually restricted to small molecules. A primary metabolite is directly involved in normal growth, development, and reproduction. Alcohol is an example of a primary metabolite produced in large-scale by industrial...

 of procainamide

Procainamide

Procainamide INN is a pharmaceutical antiarrhythmic agent used for the medical treatment of cardiac arrhythmias, classified by the Vaughan Williams classification system as class Ia.-History:...

. It is a Class III antiarrhythmic agent, whereas procainamide

Procainamide

Procainamide INN is a pharmaceutical antiarrhythmic agent used for the medical treatment of cardiac arrhythmias, classified by the Vaughan Williams classification system as class Ia.-History:...

is a Class Ia antiarrhythmic drug. It is only partially as active as procainamide; when checking levels both must be included in the final calculation.

Administration

It can be given either intravenously or orally, and is eliminated primarily by renal excretion. Comparative studies with other antiarrhythmic drugs have not been undertaken apart from a small study in atrial flutter where acecainide was better than quinidine plus digoxin. Although further clinical experience is required before the relative place of acecainide in therapy can be determined, the drug nevertheless appears to offer advantages over procainamide, particularly with respect to the reduced formation of antinuclear antibodies.

External links

• PubPK - N-Acetylprocainamide Pharmacokinetics