Double-blind study comparing indoramin and propranolol in the treatment of black patients with hypertension

A 20-week double-blind randomised study of 50 black hypertensive patients was designed to compare the efficacy and safety of indoramin (Baratol; Wyeth/Ayerst) and propranolol in patients who did not respond to diuretic therapy alone. Indoramin (initial dose 50 mg/d) or propranolol (initial dose 80 mg/d) was added to the regimen of patients whose supine diastolic blood pressure (SDBP) remained elevated at 100- 200 mmHg after 2 weeks' treatment with a combination diuretic tablet (hydrochlorothiazide 50 mg plus amiloride HCl 5 mg). Supine systolic blood pressure (SSBP) and SDBP of all patients was successfully controlled (SDBP lowered to less than 95 mmHg) by daily doses that did not exceed 100 mg of indoramin or 160 mg of propranolol; over 90% of patients in each group achieved control with lower doses, i.e. 50-75 mg of indoramin or 80-120 mg of propranolol. Although heart rate decreased from baseline values by approximately 9/min with both agents, the decreases were not significantly different between the treatment groups, and neither agent caused orthostatic hypotension. There were no statistically significant differences between the groups in the types or frequency of side-effects. Indoramin is well tolerated and is as effective as propranolol in black patients with essential hypertension who are not controlled by a thiazide diuretic alone.