NISOLDIPINE CC - CLINICAL-EXPERIENCE IN ISCHEMIC-HEART-DISEASE

Nisoldipine coat core (CC) is a long-acting calcium channel blocker (C CB) with a slow and smooth onset of action. It is effective in the tre atment of angina pectoris, increasing exercise duration, time to ST se gment depression and time to onset of angina. The results of two studi es reviewed here, in which patients received concomitant treatment wit h a P-blocker, showed that the anti-anginal efficacy of nisoldipine CC , 40 mg once daily, measured at trough was comparable with amlodipine, 10 mg once daily, and with diltiazem retard, 120 mg twice daily, and that efficacy was maintained over a 24-hour period. The third trial re viewed here showed that nisoldipine CC was at least as effective as th ree-times-daily treatment with diltiazem (total dose 240 mg). To date, the effects of nisoldipine CC have been investigated in over 4,000 pa tients with hypertension and angina pectoris. Clinical experience sugg ests that once-daily nisoldipine CC is at least as well tolerated as o ther CCBs, provides consistent efficacy and is a useful treatment in t he management of patients with angina pectoris. The CCBs show promisin g beneficial effects in experimental atherosclerosis and a small numbe r of clinical trials show some effect on the progression of atheroscle rosis in coronary artery disease and restenosis following coronary ang ioplasty. An ongoing long-term trial with nisoldipine CC after coronar y angioplasty is discussed.