ROLE OF CALCIUM ANTAGONISM IN THE THERAPEUTIC ACTION OF DRUGS

Although it should be emphasized that calcium antagonism is but 1 facet of the more complex pharmacological mechanism of action of some of the drugs discussed in this review, it is interesting to note that the recent surge of interest in calcium antagonists has resulted not only in the development of several new pharmacological agents which are now in clinical use, but also in the reevaluation of the mechanism of action of a number of older drugs which were not previously suspected of being calcium antagonists. The emphasis in this review is on drugs currently in clinical use, both those that were introduced specifically as calcium antagonists and those that were found to be calcium antagonists subsequent to their introduction. Some newly developed experimental calcium antagonists are briefly discussed.