Therapeutic research on calcium antagonists began in German pharmaceutical companies over 40 years ago and continues in many companies today. The first generation of calcium antagonists were prenylamine (Segontin, Hoechst 1960), verapamil (Isoptin, Knoll 1962), and nifedipine (Adalat, Bayer 1967). The therapeutic target for these compounds was an improved treatment for angina pectoris, which had to meet certain stringent performance criteria...