Drug evaluation of clevidipine for acute hypertension

Background: Clevidipine is an investigational agent undergoing late-stage clinical development to evaluate its potential as a novel short-acting intravenous agent for treating acute hypertension, either in hypertensive emergencies encountered in the emergency department and intensive care units, or in the perioperative period. Method: Clevidipine has been evaluated in four Phase I studies, nine Phase II studies and six Phase III clinical studies. The patient populations studied include healthy volunteers, patients with essential hypertension, patients undergoing cardiac surgery, and patients presenting to the emergency department with hypertensive emergencies. Studies providing comparative data of clevidipine versus nitroglycerin, nicardipine or sodium nitroprusside are also available. Objective: This article reviews the results of clinical studies evaluating the pharmacological properties, clinical effects and safety profiles of clevidipine in various patient populations. Results/conclusion: Clevidipine is an effective agent for reducing acute elevation in blood pressure in various settings, including hypertensive emergencies and perioperative hypertension with a good safety profile.