β-Adrenoceptor Antagonists: New Drugs and New Indications

THE finding that the relative potency of a series of sympathomimetic amines varied with the effector organs or systems led Ahlquist in 1948 to conclude that there were two distinct types of adrenergic receptors, which he classified as a and β1 The discovery ofβ-adrenoceptor antagonists 10 years later2 gave strong support to Ahlquist's hypothesis and initiated one of the most important advances in cardiovascular pharmacotherapy.Although β-blockers were initially intended as treatment for angina pectoris, it soon became clear that they had much to offer as therapy for other clinical disorders: hypertension, arrhythmia, thyrotoxicosis, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, migraine, and glaucoma.3 , 4 As . . .