Combination and triple therapy in patients with stable angina pectoris not adequately controlled by optimal β-blocker therapy.

In 60 to 80% of patients with stable angina pectoris at low risk for future coronary events, monotherapy with a β-blocker is an effective treatment. When patients with stable angina pectoris and low risk for events do not respond adequately to optimal β-blocker monotherapy, combination therapy or even triple therapy is may be recommended, but little is known of the actual benefit of such a strategy. We reviewed the evidence from the literature on the effectiveness of combination and triple therapy. Combination therapy with a calcium antagonist or nitrate was found to be more effective than β-blocker monotherapy in the majority of studies, but only an estimated 30% of patients objectively benefit from these combination therapies. Direct comparison shows that combination therapy of a β-blocker with a calcium antagonist is more effective than the combination of a β-blocker with a nitrate. An inadequate response to β-blocker monotherapy is more effectively improved by addition of a calcium antagonist than by alternative use of a calcium antagonist. The use of triple therapy is controversial and not recommended in patients with mild angina pectoris, while for patients with severe angina pectoris not responding to combination therapy of a β-blocker with a nitrate, triple therapy may be of advantage, although the number of patients studied has been small.