First clinical experience with isradipine in the treatment of hypertension in Portugal.

The efficacy and safety of isradipine and nifedipine retard were compared in 51 patients with mild-to-moderate essential hypertension. A 4-week placebo run-in period was followed by an 8-week course of treatment. Patients were randomly allocated to either isradipine 1.25 mg twice daily (n=24) or nifedipine 20 mg twice daily (n=826); dosages were doubled if blood pressure was not normalized (diastolic blood pressure ≥90 mm Hg) after 4 weeks of active treatment. Systoliqdiastolic blood pressures were significantly reduced (p<0.01)/p<0.01) by isradipine from 162/103 to 145/89 mm Hg, and by nifedipine from 162/104 to 143/88 mm Hg