Prolonged beta blockade due to tertatolol: a comparative study with propranolol and atenolol

Submaximal exercise heart rate was measured after oral administration of placebo, tertatolol 5 mg, propranolol 80 mg, and atenolol 100 mg to 12 subjects in a double-blind cross-over study. The peaks of beta-blocking activity, observed at 2 hr, were of similar extent for the 3 drugs. The duration of activity of tertatolol, a beta blocker with a short elimination half-life, extended up to 24 hr as did that of atenolol, but was longer than that of propranolol which reached only 18 hr. These results support once-daily administration of tertatolol in therapy.