In CARISA, Ranexa plus standard treatment for angina was superior at reducing angina frequency compared with placebo plus standard treatments.
CARISA: In addition to Ranexa, patients were on either atenolol 50 mg, amlodipine 5 mg, or diltiazem* CD 180 mg as standard treatments per protocol; sublingual nitrates were used as needed.1
At baseline, patients in the placebo group were experiencing a mean of 4.6 angina attacks per week and patients in the Ranexa group were experiencing a mean of 4.5 angina attacks per week.2
Effects on angina frequency were considerably smaller in women than in men.1
Adverse Reactions
The most common adverse reactions during treatment with Ranexa (> 4% and more common than with placebo) were dizziness (6.2%), headache (5.5%), constipation (4.5%), and nausea (4.4%). In controlled clinical trials with Ranexa, 6% of patients discontinued Ranexa due to treatment-related adverse events, compared with 3% of patients receiving placebo.
Trial Description
CARISA (Combination Assessment of Ranolazine In Stable Angina) was a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial of 823 patients with chronic angina who received Ranexa 750 mg twice daily, Ranexa 1000 mg twice daily, or placebo for 12 weeks. Patients also received daily doses of atenolol 50 mg, amlodipine 5 mg, or diltiazem CD 180 mg as standard treatment. The primary endpoint was exercise duration on the modified Bruce treadmill test at trough drug levels. Secondary endpoints included exercise duration at peak drug levels, time to angina, time to 1-mm ST-segment depression, angina frequency, and weekly nitroglycerin use.2
*Limit dose of Ranexa to 500 mg twice daily in patients on moderate CYP3A inhibitors (eg, diltiazem, verapamil, aprepitant, erythromycin, fluconazole, and grapefruit juice or grapefruit-containing products).1 Read more on Simple Dosing and Usage.
