Aims: To assess the antiischaemic efficacy and tolerability of the metabolic agent trimetazidine in combination with metoprolol in patients with stable effort angina.
Methods: This was a randomized, multicentre, double-blind, placebo-controlled parallel group study. A total of 426 male and female patients with stable, effort-induced angina and documented coronary artery disease received either placebo or trimetazidine 20 mg three times daily in addition to metoprolol 50 mg twice daily. Treadmill exercise tests were performed at weeks (-1), 0, 4 and 12.
Results: After 12 weeks, there were significantly greater improvements in the metoprolol + trimetazidine group than in the metoprolol + placebo group in: time to 1 mm ST segment depression, total workload, time to onset of angina, maximum ST segment depression, mean weekly number of angina attacks, mean weekly nitrate consumption, and grade of anginal pain. There was no evidence of any development of tolerance to trimetazidine. The tolerability of trimetazidine was excellent.
Conclusions: Therapy with trimetazidine plus metoprolol produced significant improvements in exercise stress tests and the symptoms of angina relative to metoprolol alone. With its metabolic effect, devoid of any haemodynamic action, trimetazidine is useful for combination therapy in patients with stable angina insufficiently controlled by monotherapy with a beta-blocker.
Copyright 2001 The European Society of Cardiology.