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Published on: March 15, 2022

Clinical efficacy of benidipine for vasospastic angina pectoris

Hiromasa Suzuki1, Ken Yokoyama, Yoshinori Akimoto

  • 1Department of Cardiology, Juntendo University School of Medicine, 2-1-1, Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8421, Japan. hisuzuki@med.juntendo.ac.jp

Arzneimittel-Forschung
|March 8, 2007
PubMed

Insights

Benidipine may effectively treat vasospastic angina in patients unresponsive to diltiazem. This calcium channel blocker improved symptoms in some patients and increased nitric oxide metabolites without adverse effects.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • Vasospastic angina (VSA) patients often respond to calcium channel blockers (CCBs), but some cases are refractory.
  • Refractory VSA can lead to severe complications like myocardial infarction and sudden death.
  • Identifying effective CCBs for resistant cases is crucial for patient outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the anti-vasospastic efficacy of benidipine, a long-acting dihydropyridine CCB.
  • To assess benidipine's effectiveness in patients with VSA resistant to other CCBs, specifically diltiazem.

Main Methods:

  • Fifteen patients with VSA, inadequately controlled by diltiazem, were switched to benidipine.
  • Key parameters monitored included angina frequency/duration, blood pressure, heart rate, ECG, and serum levels of NO(x) and cGMP.

Main Results:

  • Six patients experienced complete resolution of angina attacks after switching to benidipine.
  • Three patients had reduced attack duration, while four showed no improvement, and two worsened.
  • In the nine improved patients, benidipine significantly increased serum NO(x) and cGMP levels.
  • No adverse effects like hypotension or bradycardia were observed.

Conclusions:

  • Benidipine demonstrates potential as an effective treatment for Japanese patients with refractory vasospastic or variant angina pectoris.
  • The drug may be a valuable option when diltiazem therapy is insufficient.
Abstract

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