Cardiome says intravenous heart drug faster than oral rivals

(Reuters) – Cardiome Pharma Corp said an intravenous version of its drug to treat irregular heartbeat was found to be more effective than two rival oral drugs as it helped to bring patients’ heartbeat back to normal levels in shorter time. Shares of the Canadian company jumped 31 percent to an 18-month high of C$4.09 on the Toronto Stock Exchange on Monday. The company’s Nasdaq-listed shares also rose 31 percent. Patients treated with the drug, vernakalant, could get their heartbeat back to normal levels in a median time of 12 minutes, the company said. …