Possible Hepatitis from Verapamil

To the Editor: Brodsky et al. recently described a patient treated with verapamil for angina pectoris, in whom hepatotoxicity developed.* We have encountered a similar problem in one of our patients. A 48-year-old man entered a clinical-efficacy trial of verapamil (Isoptin, Knoll Pharmaceutical, Whippany, N.J.) for control of the ventricular rate in atrial fibrillation. The patient had rheumatic mitral stenosis and regurgitation with chronic atrial fibrillation and was in New York Heart Association Functional Class 2. His medical history included probable infectious hepatitis in 1959. His other medications throughout the trial were digoxin (0.25 mg and 0.375 mg on alternate.