New treatment for chest pain

The FDA has approved Ranexa (ranolazine) to treat chronic angina. Ranexa is the first drug approved to treat this condition in over 10 years. Because Ranexa affects electrical conduction in the heart, it should be used only by people who have not responded to other anti-anginal drugs, such as long-acting nitrates, calcium channel blockers, and beta blockers.

People who have chronic angina have episodes of chest pain, pressure, or discomfort that occur during exercise because the heart muscle is not getting enough oxygen. The most common cause of angina is coronary heart disease, in which the coronary arteries that supply the heart with oxygen-rich blood become blocked with plaque deposits.

According to the American Heart Association, nearly 7 million Americans are diagnosed with angina every year. Acute attacks of angina are treated with nitroglycerin placed under the tongue, whereas treatments for chronic angina are given to increase the amount of exercise a person can do before angina occurs.

"Chronic angina limits people's activities," says Steven Galson, M.D., director of the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. "The approval of Ranexa provides a new treatment option for Americans who continue to suffer symptoms of angina despite using other angina drugs."

In clinical trials, Ranexa appeared to be less effective in women than in men. Common side effects included dizziness, headache, constipation, and nausea.

Ranexa is manufactured by CV Therapeutics Inc. in Palo Alto, Calif.