Roll-Out Of Solvay's Physiotens Continues

Physiotens (moxonidine), the first of a new class of antihypertensive agents known as selective imidazoline receptor agonists, developed by Belgian chemicals and pharmaceuticals firm Solvay, is to be launched this month in the UK.

The product, which has been put through the European Union's Committee for Proprietary Medicinal Products approval system, with Germany as rapporteur, is already available in Germany, Holland, Greece and Switzerland (though there appears to have been next to no publicity for these introductions), and will be launched in France and Belgium within the next 12 months, a spokesman for the company told the Marketletter.

Discussed At European Cardiology Conference Speaking at the XVIII Congress of the European Society of Cardiology in Birmingham, UK, in late-August, Brian Prichard of the Department of Medicine, University College, London, said that a selective imidazoline-I1 receptor agonist such as moxonidine causes a fall in peripheral vascular resistance and hence blood pressure. Moxonidine achieves this whilst minimizing side effects such as dry mouth and sedation associated with older, centrally-acting antihypertensives. The product also avoids the phenomenon of rebound hypertension associated with the older centrally-acting drugs.