Since the category of cardiovascular drugs comprises a considerable number of pharmacotherapeutic groups, an overview of future developments must necessarily be limited to those areas in which innovations are most likely to occur. Further extension of our knowledge of thrombolytic therapy may eventually lead to new choices of primary drugs. In the area of antiarrhythmic therapy, the clinical use of a number of drugs has been hampered by the pro-arrhythmogenic actions of these agents. The development of new class III anti-arrhythmics will continue, probably giving rise to new therapeutic options. In the vascular area a new group of drugs, the renin inhibitors, is likely to emerge for the treatment of hypertension. Moreover, exciting discoveries in vascular pharmacology should eventually translate into new pharmacotherapeutic approaches. Finally, the large-scale availability of blood fractions (coagulation factors) prepared by recombinant technology may help solve current shortages of products derived from donated blood.