Antianginal, Antiischemic Efficacy of Nicardipine in Normotensive Patients with Chronic Stable Angina Pectoris

To assess the antianginal, antiischcmic efficacy of nicardipine, a new calcium antagonist, the present placebo-controlled study was performed on 16 normotensive patients with chronic stable angina pectoris. 20 mg nicardipine or placebo was given to patients orally and thrice daily for a week. In the following week, placepo was given to the patients who had received nicardipine or vice versa. During the study, patients were permitted to take sublingual tablets of isosorbide dinitrate (ISDN), only if they exprienced angina. At the end of each period and 3 hours after the last dose of nicardipine or placebo, the patients underwent ergometric bicycle exercise testing. The test was maintained until maximal or tolerable workload and the following parameters were obtained: weekly ISDN consumption, heart rate (HR), systolic blood pressure (SBP), and double product (DP) (=HRxSBP) at rest and HR, SBP and DP at tolerable maximal work during the test, time to occurence of 1 mm ST segment depression, time to occurrence of angina pectoris, maximal exercise time, maximal ST segment depression and tolerable maximal work. Our study revealed that nicardipine at oral dose of 20 mg thrice daily had antianginal, antiischemic efficacy which was related to decrease in myocardial oxygen requirements and probably to increase in coronary blood flow and had no serious adverse reactions.