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Combination pill ‘useful for initial hypertension treatment’

A fixed-dose combination of perindopril and amlodipine could help patients with hypertension to get their blood pressure under control more quickly and with fewer side effects than each respective drug given at higher doses as monotherapy, researchers have found.

The combination of perindopril 3.5 mg and amlodipine 2.5 mg led to a bigger reduction in blood pressure compared with perindopril 5 mg monotherapy over 24 hours, the researchers said in a poster presentation at the European Society of Cardiology conference in Barcelona.

The combination also gave a similar blood pressure reduction to amlodipine 5 mg monotherapy, but with significantly fewer cases of peripheral oedema.

The team concluded: ‘The optmised efficacy/tolerability ratio of the combination of perindopril 3.5 mg / amlodipine 2.5 mg as demonstrated by blood pressure-lowering efficacy over 24 hours and a favourable safety profile make it a suitable option for use as a first-step treatment in uncomplicated hypertension.’

The British Hypertension Society is currently studying the potential benefits of initial combination therapy as part of the Pathway project, with the hope patients are more likely to get their blood pressure controlled and not need to go on to a third antihypertensive in the long term.

European Society of Cardiology Congress 2014; Abstract P434

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