Propafenone Hcl
Brand names: Propafenone Hcl, Propafenone Hcl Er
At a glance
- Medicare prescriptions, 2024
- 145,876
- Medicare drug cost
- $11.3M
- Average cost per prescription
- $77.18
- Clinicians who prescribed it
- 4,991
Where it is prescribed
List the prescribers in any state, county, city or ZIP code →
What it is used for
Propafenone hydrochloride extended-release capsules are indicated to prolong the time to recurrence of symptomatic atrial fibrillation (AF) in patients with episodic (most likely paroxysmal or persistent) AF who do not have structural heart disease. Usage Considerations: • The use of propafenone hydrochloride extended-release capsules in patients with permanent AF or in patients exclusively with atrial flutter or paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia (PSVT) has not been evaluated. Do not use propafenone hydrochloride extended-release capsules to control ventricular rate during AF. • Some patients with atrial flutter treated with propafenone have developed 1:1 conduction, producing an increase in ventricular rate. Concomitant treatment with drugs that increase the functional atrioventricular (AV) nodal refractory period is recommended. • The effect of propafenone on mortality has not been determined.
From the FDA-approved prescribing information (label dated June 2026). Full labels on DailyMed (opens in a new tab)
Boxed warning
WARNING: MORTALITY • In the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute’s Cardiac Arrhythmia Suppression Trial (CAST), a long-term, multicenter, randomized, double-blind trial in patients with asymptomatic non-life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias who had a myocardial infarction more than 6 days but less than 2 years previously, an increased rate of death or reversed cardiac arrest rate (7.7%; 56/730) was seen in patients treated with encainide or flecainide (Class IC antiarrhythmics) compared with that seen in patients assigned to placebo (3 %; 22/725). The average duration of treatment with encainide or flecainide in this trial was 10 months. • The applicability of the CAST results to other populations (e.g., those without recent myocardial infarction) or other antiarrhythmic drugs is uncertain, but at present, it is prudent to consider any IC antiarrhythmic to have a significant…
The FDA’s strongest warning on a label. It doesn’t mean the drug is unsafe for most people; talk to your doctor or pharmacist before stopping or changing any medicine.
Who prescribes it
- Cardiology 38.8%
- Cardiac Electrophysiology 18.6%
- Nurse Practitioners 13.8%
- Interventional Cardiology 10.8%
- Internal Medicine 6.1%
- Family Medicine 5.9%
- Physician Assistants 3.7%
- General Practice 0.7%
- Nuclear Medicine 0.3%
- Geriatric Medicine 0.3%
- Emergency Medicine 0.2%
- Heart Failure & Transplant Cardiology 0.1%
All prescribers, by place, name or specialty →
Share of Medicare prescriptions written by each specialty. Select one to list its prescribers.
Trend, 2019–2024
Medicare prescriptions fell 27% from 2019 to 2024.
Biggest change by state since 2019
- Arkansas −5%
- Mississippi −12%
- New York −17%
- Indiana −20%
- Texas −21%
- Ohio (smallest change) −41%
- Nebraska (smallest change) −39%
From CMS’s yearly state and national Part D summaries, which count every prescriber, including those CMS leaves out of its per-clinician data (fewer than 11 prescriptions). That is why these totals are higher than the count at the top of this page. Prescriptions include refills.
What it looks like
Pills from 2 makers on file. The same medicine can look different depending on who made it, so check the imprint (the letters and numbers on the pill) with your pharmacist if a refill looks different.
A-S Medication Solutions
| Strength | Looks like | Imprint |
|---|---|---|
| 225 mg | white round tablet, 10 mm, scored to split in 2 | WATSON 583 |
Northstar Rx LLC
| Strength | Looks like | Imprint |
|---|---|---|
| 225 mg | white capsule, 22 mm | 408 G |
| 325 mg | white capsule, 23 mm | 409 G |
| 425 mg | white capsule, 23 mm | 410 G |
Source: DailyMed (U.S. National Library of Medicine), from each maker’s FDA drug listing. A few makers are shown, not every one. Never take a pill you can’t identify; ask a pharmacist.
Industry payments about this drug
No industry payments to clinicians named this drug in 2025.
Recalls and shortages
Not on the FDA drug shortage list.
1 recall since 2020
- Mar 2025 · Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Inc., USA · Class II
CGMP Deviations
Recalls usually affect specific lots from one maker, not every version of a drug. Class I is the most serious; most drug recalls are Class II. FDA recalls (opens in a new tab)
Sources: CMS Medicare Part D Prescribers by Provider and Drug (2024; prescriptions include refills, and CMS hides counts under 11 per prescriber); U.S. Food and Drug Administration, openFDA (drug labels, NDC directory, enforcement reports, drug shortages); CMS Open Payments 2025; ClinicalTrials.gov. General information only, not medical advice; not yet reviewed by our medical reviewer.