A double-blind trial of suloctidil v. placebo in intermittent claudication

Abstract

In a recent double-blind trial lasting over 6 months, 40 patients suffering from intermittent claudication were randomly allocated to receive 300 mg of suloctidil per day or exactly matching placebo capsules. In addition to treadmill walking distance, other objective criteria including ankle blood pressure response and muscle blood flow measured by 133Xe clearance were used to assess the effectiveness of therapy. Nine patients (4 in the suloctidil group and 5 controls) did not complete the trial according to the protocol. Of the remaining 31 patients, 17 were in the control group and 14 received suloctidil. A significant improvement in the absolute walking distance, the level of beta-thromboglobulin (beta TG) compared to pre-therapy value and the time for the ankle pressure index to return to the pre-exercise value was observed in patients receiving suloctidil.