AHFS/Drugs.com Monograph Routes of
administration By mouth (tablets) | MedlinePlus a606015 ATC code C01EB18 (WHO) | |
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License data EU EMA: Ranexa
US FDA: Ranolazine Pregnancy
category US: C (Risk not ruled out) | ||
Ranolazine, sold under the trade name Ranexa by Gilead Sciences, is a drug to treat angina that was first approved in 2006.
Contents
Medical uses
Ranolazine is used to treat chronic angina. It may be used concomitantly with β blockers, nitrates, calcium channel blockers, antiplatelet therapy, lipid-lowering therapy, ACE inhibitors, and angiotensin receptor blockers.
Contraindications
Some contraindications for ranolazine are related to its metabolism and are described under Drug Interactions. Additionally, in clinical trials ranolazine slightly increased QT interval in some patients and the FDA label contains a warning for doctors to beware of this effect in their patients. The drug's effect on the QT interval is increased in the setting of liver dysfunction; thus it is contraindicated in persons with mild to severe liver disease.
Side effects
The most common side effects are dizziness (11.8%) and constipation (10.9%). Other side effects include headache and nausea.
Drug interactions
Ranolazine is metabolized mainly by the CYP3A enzyme. It also inhibits another metabolizing enzyme, cytochrome CYP2D6. For this reason, the doses of ranolazine and drugs that interact with those enzymes need to be adjusted when they are used by the same patient.
Ranolazine should not be used with drugs like ketoconazole, clarithromycin, and nelfinavir that strongly inhibit CYP3A nor with drugs that activate CYP3A like rifampin and phenobarbital.
For drugs that are moderate CYP3A inhibitors like diltiazem, verapamil, erythromycin, the dose of ranolazine should be reduced.
Drugs that are metabolized by CYP2D6 like tricyclic antidepressants may need to be given at reduced doses when administered with ranolazine.
Mechanism of action
Ranolazine inhibits persistent or late inward sodium current (INa) in heart muscle in a variety of voltage-gated sodium channels. Inhibiting that current leads to reductions in elevated intracellular calcium levels. This in turn leads to reduced tension in the heart wall, leading to reduced oxygen requirements for the muscle. The QT prolongation effect of ranolazine on the surface electrocardiogram is the result of inhibition of IKr, which prolongs the ventricular action potential.
Legal status
Ranolazine was approved by the FDA in January 2006, for the treatment of patients with chronic angina as a second-line treatment in addition to other drugs. In 2007 the label was updated to make ranolazine a first-line treatment, alone or with other drugs. In April 2008 ranolazine was approved by the European EMEA for use in angina.
History
In 1996, CV Therapeutics licensed the North American and European rights to ranolazine from Syntex, a subsidiary of Roche, which had discovered the drug and had developed it through Phase II trials in angina. In 2006, CV Therapeutics acquired the remaining worldwide rights to ranolazine from Roche. In 2008 CV Therapeutics exclusively licensed rights for ranolazine in Europe and some other countries to Menarini. In 2009, Gilead acquired CV Therapeutics. In 2013 Gilead expanded the partnership with Menarini to include additional countries, including those in Asia.