Contribution of clinical pharmacology to a rational use of cardiac glycosides in Czechoslovakia.

In Czechoslovakia, drug utilization studies showed that oral forms of digoxin and lanatoside C are traditionally the most prescribed cardiac glycosides. Our study of the relative bioavailability of the oral form of lanatoside C revealed that the drug has a low and irregular bioavailability making use of this frequently prescribed drug non-rational. The above data definitely contributed to a sharp decrease in the use of the oral form of lanatoside C in our country, which is in agreement with consumption trends in other European countries. However, the use of only drug forms with a good bioavailability is one aspect of new approaches applied in pharmacotherapy with cardiac glycosides resulting in gradual decrease of their consumption as a pharmacological group. Clinical pharmacological evaluation of individual drug forms and postgraduate education in clinical pharmacology of cardiac glycosides contribute significantly--apart from other regulatory measures--to a more rational use of cardiac glycosides in Czechoslovakia.