Antihypertensive effects of a new sustained-release formulation of nifedipine

The blood pressure response to a new sustained-release formulation of nifedipine was evaluated in an 8-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Twenty-nine patients with mild essential hypertension were randomized to receive placebo (N = 9), 30 mg nifedipine (N = 10), or 60 mg nifedipine (N = 10). During treatment, 30-mg and 60-mg doses of nifedipine administered once daily decreased office blood pressures from 137/98 +/- 8/2 mm Hg and 141/98 +/- 15/2 mm Hg at baseline, respectively, to 126/89 +/- 9/7 mm Hg and 126/86 +/- 6/7 mm Hg (P less than .005). Noninvasive automatic ambulatory blood pressure monitoring demonstrated a marginally significant (P less than .10) reduction in the mean 24-hour blood pressure of 2/6 +/- 8/8 mm Hg and 5/6 +/- 9/9 mm Hg for patients taking 30 mg and 60 mg nifedipine once daily, respectively. Diastolic blood pressure load (the percentage of ambulatory diastolic blood pressure readings greater than 90 mm Hg) during 24 hours was decreased by 41% and 35%, with 30 mg and 60 mg nifedipine administered once daily, respectively. No significant dose response to nifedipine at these dose levels was observed. Although the once-daily formulation of nifedipine achieved effective control of office blood pressure, similar control was not observed in awake and 24-hour periods in all patients.