title: Once-daily therapy for angina pectoris with nifedipine gastrointestinal therapeutic system. Dosing and clinical efficacy.
abstract: The nifedipine gastrointestinal therapeutic system (GITS) is a promising new formulation that provides continuous release of nifedipine over the course of 24 hours with once-daily dosing. Results from a 14-week, open-label, crossover multicenter trial completed by 91 patients with chronic stable angina pectoris demonstrate that patients treated with standard nifedipine capsules may be switched to equivalent total 24-hour doses of nifedipine GITS and achieve comparable or improved efficacy (due to improved compliance) with a more favorable side-effects profile. Furthermore, in a subset of 10 patients who underwent sequential exercise testing, exercise responses obtained throughout 12 weeks of treatment with nifedipine GITS were comparable to measurements obtained during treatment with nifedipine capsules and demonstrated that tolerance did not occur. These patients also experienced significantly fewer vasodilatory side effects during treatment with nifedipine GITS compared with nifedipine capsules. Thus, nifedipine GITS represents a sound pharmacologic approach to the management of ischemic disease; and with once-daily dosing and a favorable side-effect profile this agent affords the potential for better patient compliance and efficacy without concern about the development of tolerance.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Medical College of Virginia, Richmond.
authors.forename: G W
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: Vetrovec
mesh_terms: D000787:Angina Pectoris / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D003692:Delayed-Action Preparations; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015337:Multicenter Studies as Topic; D009543:Nifedipine / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D013607:Tablets
chemical_list: D003692:Delayed-Action Preparations; D013607:Tablets; D009543:Nifedipine