Sublingual transmucosal delivery of organic nitrates: Treatment of angina pectoris

In 1879 Sir William Murrell published a seminal report demonstrating the effectiveness of lingual nitroglycerin (NTG) for patients suffering from acute chest pain (angina pectoris) (1). Because bloodletting of patients in this era was not uncommon as “therapy” for these angina symptoms, this discovery of a reliable pharmacological approach was a significant therapeutic advance. Much later, in the 1960s, sublingual NTG tablets were made commercially available in the United States. Interestingly, despite numerous advances in cardiovascular medicine, sublingual NTG remains the drug of choice for the pharmacological treatment of acute angina episodes and for the prevention of angina (2,3).