Antihypertensive treatment with calcium channel blockers and renal protection: focus on lercanidipine and lercanidipine/enalapril.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of the study was to review the literature on clinical pharmacology of lercanidipine and experimental and clinical evidence and evaluate its ability to reduce proteinuria and preserve renal function when used as monotherapy or in combination with the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor enalapril.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

MEDLINE/PubMed was searched for appropriate keywords.

RESULTS

Lercanidipine, a third-generation calcium channel blocker, has been shown to have a unique pharmacological and clinical profile, which translates into favorable renal hemodynamic changes. The fixed-dose combination lercanidipine/enalapril has been proposed to overcome unmet therapeutic needs, often as the initial treatment in the high-risk patient.

CONCLUSIONS

Lercanidipine may be regarded as an ideal antihypertensive drug for patients at renal risk and possibly the preferred choice among calcium channel blocker drugs.