Darodipine is a calcium channel blocking drug, developed by Sandoz in the early 1980s. It potently and selectively antagonizes calcium-induced contraction, decreases the rate of spontaneously beating guinea-pig and rabbit atria. In open-chest dogs, darodipine increased coronary flow and cardiac output, lowered blood pressure, and tended to decrease heart rate while the myocardial contractile force was unchanged. Administration of darodipine led to a significant reduction in mortality and in the severity of neurological symptoms in various types of experimental brain ischemia. Clinical trials demonstrated efficacy for the treatment of stable angina pectoris. In the pilot trial, darodipine was found to be safe but not effective in patients with acute ischemic cerebral infarction.