Evaluation of antianginal effectiveness of nicardipine in patients with angina pectoris

The new calcium antagonist nicardipine was studied for its potency in 73 patients with coronary heart disease concurrent with angina pectoris, including 16 with vasospastic angina. Nicardipine given in a mean daily dose of 70.1 +/- 12.4 mg induced an increase in exercise test duration by 1-2 min in 71.9% of the patients as compared with placebo. The agent was slightly less potent than nifedipine. In vasospastic angina, nicardipine was effective in 81.3% of the patients.