Lacidipine

Lacidipine is a lipophilic dihydropyridine calcium antagonist with an intrinsically slow onset of activity. Due to its long duration of action, lacidipine does not lead to reflex tachycardia . It displays specificity in the vascular smooth muscle, where it acts as an antihypertensive agent to dilate peripheral arterioles and reduce blood pressure. Compared to other dihydropyridine calcium antagonists, lacidipine exhibits a greater antioxidant activity which may confer potentially beneficial antiatherosclerotic effects . Lacidipine is a highly lipophilic molecule that interacts with the biological membranes. Through radiotracer analysis, it was determined that lacidipine displays a high membrane partition coefficient leading to accumulation of the drug in the membrane and slow rate of membrane washout . When visualized by small-angle X-ray diffraction with angstrom resolution to examine its location within the membranes, lacidipine was found deep within the membrane's hydrocarbon core . These results may explain the long clinical half-life of lacidipine . In randomised, well-controlled trials, administration of daily single-dose lacidipine ranging from 2-6 mg demonstrated comparable antihypertensive efficacy similar to that of other long-acting dihydropyridine calcium antagonists, thiazide diuretics, atenolol (a beta-blocker) and enalapril (an ACE inhibitor) . It is available as once-daily oral tablets containing 2 or 4 mg of the active compound commonly marketed as Lacipil or Motens. It is not currently FDA-approved.