Felodipine: appears to be an effective antihypertensive agent

In a single blind study, 13 hypertensive patients received placebo tid for 1 day and then the calcium antagonist felodipine [H-154/82; Astra) 5mg tid (n = 9) or 10mg tid (n = 4) for 2.3 days (7 doses).

Mean supine BP was similarly reduced by both dosage levels of felodipine. With 5mg tid, BP fell from 170f103mm Hg to 148/91mm Hg (p < 0.001). Supine heart rate (HR) was increased from 7 4 beats/min with placebo to 83 beats/min on the first day of treatment with 5mg tid but fell the next day to 78 beats/min. Felodipine 1 Omg tid caused a greater rise in HR which did not decrease the following day.

Recruitment into the 1 Omg tid group was stopped because of side effects including moderate/severe headaches. In the other group, adverse effects reported were mild or moderate headache (n = 3) and mild palpitation (n = 1 ). The authors concluded that ' ... felodipine in a divided daily dose of 15mg effectively lowers blood pressure and may prove to be a useful antihypertensive agent in clinical practice'. Mace PJE. Stallard T J. Littler WA European Journal of Clm1cal Pharmacology 29 383·389. Jan 1985

0156-2703/86/1005-0005/0$01.00/0 © ADIS Press INPHARMk'' 22 Feb 1986 5