ONCE-DAILY VS TWICE-DAILY NITRENDIPINE IN THE TREATMENT OF MILD TO MODERATE HYPERTENSION

Improved measurement of the plasma concentration of nitrendipine demonstrated a plasma half-life of 17-21 h, allowing once-daily (o.d.) instead of currently twice-daily (b.i.d.) dosing. To determine the effectiveness of nitrendipine given o.d. vs. b.i.d., 78 hypertensive patients, [supine diastolic blood pressure (DBP) of 95-114 mm Hg] were randomized in a double-blind fashion to 12 weeks of treatment with either nitrendipine 10 mg b.i.d. (n = 39) or nitrendipine 20 mg o.d. (n = 39) after a 2-week placebo baseline period. Blood pressures (BPs) were measured in the morning at the end of the dosing interval. Mean +/- SD reduction in supine systolic BP (SBP) and DBP in patients evaluable for efficacy (greater-than-or-equal-to 14 days treatment) were 7.2 +/- 16.5 and 7.7 +/- 10.3 mm Hg, respectively, after nitrendipine b.i.d. (n = 38) and 9.4 +/- 15.1 and 9.5 +/- 7.0 mm Hg, respectively, after nitrendipine o.d. (n = 36). Similar falls in BP were found for both regimens in patients completing the full 12 weeks of treatment period (n: o.d. = 28, b.i.d. = 32). Discontinuation due to adverse experiences (AEs) occurred in three patients on b.i.d. and eight patients on o.d., the latter mostly in the first 2 weeks of therapy. Overall, AEs were higher in the o.d. group (% AEs at least possibly related to study medication: o.d. = 44%, b.i.d. = 33%). Most frequent AEs were headache and flushing. In conclusion, nitrendipine 20 mg o.d. lowered BPs as effectively as nitrendipine 10 mg b.i.d. but 20 mg o.d. was associated with a higher incidence of AEs and dropouts mainly at the start of therapy. This could possibly be avoided by starting nitrendipine at 10 mg o.d.