Alinidine reduces heart-rate without blockade of beta-adrenoceptors

Alinidine is a new drug which reduces heart-rate in animals by an unknown mechanism. Oral administration of 40 and 80 mg significantly reduced an exercise tachycardia in healthy people, with small reductions in heart-rate in the standing and supine positions. Alinidine 80 mg reduced arterial pressure in the standing and supine positions. The reduction in exercise tachycardia produced by 80 mg alinidine was similar to that after 40 mg propranolol, but alinidine had no effect on an isoprenaline tachycardia. These observations indicate that alinidine reduces heart-rate without blocking beta-adrenoceptors and may be useful in patients with angina and in patients with tachyarrhythmias.