Clinical evaluation of bisoprolol in patients with hypertension: interim report

The antihypertensive effect and possible adverse effects of bisoprolol were assessed in 96 Japanese patients with mild to moderate hypertension. After a 2- to 4-week placebo period, bisoprolol was administered to 68 outpatients at a daily dose of 5 mg to 20 mg for 6 to 8 weeks, and to 28 inpatients with the same dose range up to a maximum of 4 weeks. For outpatients, blood pressure and heart rate were recorded every 2 weeks, while for inpatients, in addition to daily measurements, the effect of bisoprolol on diurnal variation of blood pressure was also studied. Bisoprolol lowered blood pressure and heart rate significantly in both groups of patients. The most common adverse effect was bradycardia. It is expected that bisoprolol will be a very effective and useful antihypertensive drug.