[Enteral availability and therapeutic activity of proscillaridin-4'-methyl ether (author's transl)].

20 cardiac patients with the clinical and radiological signs of heart failure were treated alternately intravenously and orally with proscillaridin-4'-methyl ether in a 2-period change-over procedure. With medium rate full saturation a steady state was maintained under observation of electrocardiographic parameters. The maintenance dose was determined to be 1.00 mg intravenously and 1.71 mg orally. Thus, relative enteral availability was 60%. In 70% of patients cardiac recompensation could be reached only by treatment with proscillaridin-4'-methyl ether. In 9 of 20 patients undesirable side effects consisted of laxative effects.