Post-marketing surveillance of the Transiderm-Nitro patch in general practice

Post-Marketing Surveillance (PMS) of Transiderm-Nitro, a new transdermal form of nitroglycerin, was undertaken during the 6 months following its introduction to general practitioners in the United Kingdom. Two thousand four hundred and seventy-five record forms were received. Excluding the fourteen patients who died during the surveillance, treatment in the remaining 2461 was judged as effective in 80.6% of patients and was well tolerated, with 70.5% having no unwanted effects. The incidences of withdrawal from Transiderm-Nitro in all patients analyzed were 5.7% due to headaches, 3.6% due to other unwanted effects and only 3.1% due to the treatment being judged as ineffective. This PMS confirms that Transiderm-Nitro is an effective, well tolerated addition to the therapy of angina pectoris.