Calcium channel Inhibitors
13 drugsAbout Calcium channel
Calcium channels are integral membrane proteins regulating calcium ion influx, crucial for muscle contraction, neurotransmitter release, and hormone secretion.
Human genetics provide strong validation for calcium channels as therapeutic targets, with variants linked to acquired long QT syndrome (score 0.92) and Timothy syndrome (score 0.92). Loss-of-function variants are associated with increased risk, suggesting activation may be beneficial.
Calcium channels are targeted by 13 FDA-approved small molecule drugs, including KATERZIA, NICARDIPINE HYDROCHLORIDE and AMLODIPINE BESYLATE, primarily for cardiovascular indications. Top companies include AZURITY, BIONPHARMA, and STRIDES PHARMA INTL.
Strategic Insights
ℹ️ How we calculate- White space opportunity in Endometrial Cancer with only 2 trials.
Calcium channel Genetic Evidence Strong
Calcium channel target validation is strongly supported by human genetics (max score 0.92).
Strong genetic support suggests prioritizing agonist therapies for genetically validated indications.
💡 Why activation?
- • Loss-of-function variants increase disease risk (OR > 1) — restoring function may help
- • 100% directional consistency across 2 traits
- • Strong signal in genetic, familial or congenital disease, phenotype pathways
Cross-Disease Effects
Trade-off: LowDirection of Effect
100% alignedEvidence Across Diseases
20 totalGWAS and other genetic studies link CACNA1C to 42 diseases.
Loss-of-function causes disease; activation may help
🔗 Colocalization Evidence 20 strong
max H4: 1.00eQTL/pQTL signals for CACNA1C colocalize with these GWAS traits, providing causal evidence that gene expression changes drive disease risk.
Understanding these scores
Association Score (0-1): Combines all evidence types (genetic, literature, drugs, animal models). Higher = more evidence linking target to disease. This is a ranking heuristic, not a confidence score.
L2G Score: Open Targets uses a machine learning model (Locus-to-Gene) to predict which gene is causal at each GWAS locus. L2G=0.5 means ~50% probability of being the causal gene. Only associations with L2G > 0.05 are included.
Odds Ratio (OR): From gene burden studies (UK Biobank, AstraZeneca PheWAS). Measures how loss-of-function variants affect disease risk. OR<1 = protective (inhibiting target may help), OR>1 = risk (losing function causes disease).
Beta (β): Effect size for continuous traits. β<0 = protective, β>0 = risk.
Clinical Translation (~1.8x): Based on Nelson et al. 2015: drug targets with genetic evidence have ~2x higher success rates in clinical trials. We estimate: Strong support (score ≥0.7) → ~1.8x, Moderate (0.3-0.7) → ~1.3x, Weak → baseline.
Colocalization (H4): Tests whether a GWAS signal and an eQTL/pQTL signal share the same causal variant. H4 is the posterior probability that both traits are associated AND share a causal variant. H4 > 0.8 = strong evidence that gene expression/protein levels drive disease risk. This links genetic variation → gene expression → disease, supporting the target-disease connection.
Top Calcium channel Drugs
Ten companies have approved calcium channel drugs, with AZURITY among the leaders.
The presence of multiple players suggests a moderately competitive market with potential entry barriers.
Calcium channel Drug Modality Landscape
Modalities
Routes of Administration
Calcium channel is amenable to small molecule drugs, with oral options available for convenient dosing.
Consider novel modalities to differentiate from existing small molecule calcium channel drugs.
Calcium channel Clinical Trials 492 trials
Completion by Phase
| Phase | Total | Completed | Failed | Active | Completion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phase 1 | 115 | 104 | 6 | 5 | 95% |
| Phase 2 | 80 | 55 | 15 | 10 | 79% |
| Phase 3 | 119 | 94 | 13 | 11 | 88% |
| Phase 4 | 178 | 127 | 29 | 20 | 81% |
Top Sponsors
By Modality
Top Conditions
Top Drugs
Calcium channel Drug Approval Timeline (1992 - 2025)
The first calcium channel drug was approved in 1992, with the most recent in 2025.
The 34-year approval span indicates sustained interest, but recent approvals suggest continued opportunity.
Pro Intelligence Preview
Deep insights for drug target analysis
Competitive Landscape
- • 10 companies competing
- • Market share by company
Full Drug Portfolio
- • All 13 approved drugs
- • Approval dates & indications
Genetic Validation
- • Full genetic evidence table
- • Effect sizes & directions
Approval Timeline
- • Full 13-drug timeline
- • First-of-modality markers
Clinical Trials Analysis
- • Competition: High (15 sponsors)
- • White space: 10 underexplored indications
- • Success rates by condition
Full summary • All drugs • Genetic evidence • Trials • Timeline
How We Calculate These Metrics
Target Attractiveness Score
A 0-100 score based on trial activity, sponsor diversity, and completion rates. Calculated from 287 clinical trials targeting Calcium channel.
Completion rate: Percentage of trials that reached their planned endpoint. Trials terminated early, withdrawn, or suspended are not counted—these often indicate safety issues, lack of efficacy, or strategic pivots.
- Highly Attractive (80+): High trial activity, many sponsors, strong completion rates
- Attractive (60-79): Good trial activity and validation
- Moderate (40-59): Moderate interest from sponsors
- Low (under 40): Limited trial activity or validation concerns
Strategic Insights
Auto-generated insights based on trial analytics including competition intensity, white space opportunities, modality shifts, and failure patterns. We analyze trial sponsors, phases, indications, and outcomes.
Risk Signals
- High Competition: Many sponsors competing for this target (may reduce market opportunity)
- High Failure Risk: Low trial completion rates suggest development challenges
- Low Validation: Limited trial activity or poor outcomes indicate uncertain viability
- White Space Available: Underexplored indications present opportunities