Twenty eight patients who satisfied the entry criteria and had completed an initial 2 weeks treatment with placebo were titrated fortnightly with doses of Nicardipine ranging from 30 mg to 90 mg daily in two or three divided doses. Nicardipine treatment significantly reduced blood pressures both in the supine and standing positions (p < 0.0004) when compared with placebo treatment. Heart rates however did not change significantly. Forty six percent (13/28) of patients on 20 mg twice daily, 25% (7/28) on 10 mg three times daily, 18% (5/28) of patients on 20 mg three times daily and 11% (3/28) on 30 mg three times daily achieved supine diastolic blood pressures < 90 mm Hg. Nicardipine treatment at 16 weeks and at 24 weeks did not significantly alter the lipid profile when compared to the end of placebo treatment period. No other biochemical abnormalities were reported during the study period. Except for 2 cases of mild pedal oedema and 2 cases of transient headaches, no serious side-effects were encountered.
In a single-blind study conducted at our centres, 78 hypertensive patients were enrolled with 58 completing the study according to the protocol. Mean supine and standing blood pressures were significantly reduced after treatment with felodipine, reductions being 27/21 mmHg (p < 0.0001) and 25/19 mmHg (p < 0.0001) respectively. Of 46 patients given felodipine 5 mg, 44 (95.7%) achieved target blood pressure defined as a diastolic blood pressure of < 90 mmHg, while all 12 patients on felodipine 10 mg did so. The 2 patients who did not achieve target pressure at the final visit did so on previous visits. There were no differences in pre and post-treatment laboratory variables. Treatment was discontinued in 6 patients because of headaches. No adverse events of clinical significance were reported in the 58 patients who completed the study. In conclusion, we found felodipine given once daily to be effective in the treatment of mild to moderate hypertension.