A multicenter, double-blind placebo controlled study was designed to examine the efficacy of
celiprolol in exercise induced
angina pectoris. The study consisted of a 4-week placebo run-in period, 6-week titration, 4-week maintenance, 2-week tapering and a 2-week placebo run-out period. Entry criteria were a history of
stable angina with
chest pain and 1 mm ST segment depression between 3 and 12 min after start of treadmill exercise stress test. Patients started with
celiprolol 200 mg daily for 2 weeks; non-responders received 400 mg daily for 2 weeks and then if necessary 600 mg daily for another 2 weeks. A 20% increase over baseline in exercise stress test to onset of angina was considered a response. Ninety-two patients were evaluated, 54 in the
celiprolol group and 38 in the placebo group; 63 men and 29 women, mean age 57 years. The
celiprolol group was significantly different from placebo after 6 weeks. In particular, exercise time increased by 4.3 min (placebo increased by 0.3 min), ST segment depression reduced by 0.4 mm, notwithstanding the increase in exercise time (placebo increased by 0.2 mm), maximum exercise heart rate reduced by 6 beats per min (placebo increased by 3 beats per min), maximum exercise systolic BP reduced by 14 mm Hg (placebo decreased by 1 mm Hg). The therapeutic success rate based on a 20% increase of exercise time was 85% after
celiprolol and zero after placebo. Reduction in weekly angina attacks and
nitroglycerin consumption was from 8 to 3 after
celiprolol and from 9 to 6 after placebo.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)