title: Transdermal nitroglycerin systems: methods for comparison.
abstract: A number of transdermal nitroglycerin delivery systems are able to maintain a constant plasma level of nitroglycerin for up to 24 hours, even though the drug's elimination half-life is only a few minutes. Unfortunately, wide variations in plasma drug levels reported in studies of transdermal delivery systems can make plasma level comparisons between products inappropriate and misleading. Other measures of clinical performance include adhesive properties and patient preference. In one adhesion study, Minitran demonstrated superior adhesive properties when compared with Transderm-Nitro, Nitro-Dur II, and a medical reference tape. In patient preference studies involving several hundred patients with angina pectoris, patients consistently selected Minitran over Transderm-Nitro or Nitro-Dur II, citing patch size, shape, ease of application, comfort, better patch adhesion, and reduced instances of skin irritation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Drug Metabolism, 3M Pharmaceuticals, St. Paul, Minnesota.
authors.forename: L I
authors.initials: LI
authors.lastname: Harrison
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Riedel
mesh_terms: D000279:Administration, Cutaneous; D000328:Adult; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008722:Methods; D005996:Nitroglycerin / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000097:blood; D015203:Reproducibility of Results
chemical_list: D005996:Nitroglycerin