[Cooperative study on the long-term use of anti-anginal preparations (methodologic questions)]

The development of a national collaborative program for the study of long-term effects of antianginal drugs initiated for the first time in our country is reported. The present communication is concerned with methodological approaches to the study. The collaborative effort has enabled a basically new scale of research. The principal methodological problems discussed are: how to select antianginal drugs; how to assess drug tolerance; and, possible changes in pharmacokinetic parameters of antianginal drugs used on a long-term basis. Studies along these lines are expected to contribute to the development of optimum regimens of antianginal treatment.