One pill may be better than two for treating patients with high blood pressure

Taking one tablet composed of lipid-lowering medication atorvastatin and blood pressure-lowering medication amlodipine may be more beneficial for patients who are suffering from high blood pressure and have additional risk factors for heart disease, rather than popping two pills for the purpose, according to a study.

Washington, May 12 : Taking one tablet composed of lipid-lowering medication atorvastatin and blood pressure-lowering medication amlodipine may be more beneficial for patients who are suffering from high blood pressure and have additional risk factors for heart disease, rather than popping two pills for the purpose, according to a study.

Experts at ValueMedics Research, a health outcomes research and consulting firm in Falls Church, suggest that a single-tablet combination of the two medications is less costly than a two-tablet combination, and is at least as effective, if not more so, in preventing cardiovascular events.

"This is a novel research approach that examines the economic and clinical implications of high blood pressure and cholesterol in the real world," said lead author of the study, Timothy W. Smith.

The researchers analysed that when hypothetical cohorts of 100,000 people fully adhered to the one-tablet and two-tablet regimens, each treatment group had 3,520 cardiovascular events over four years, such as fatal and non-fatal heart attack, chest pain and stroke.

They say that medical costs over four years were $7,665 for the two-tablet regimen and $6,471 for the one-tablet regimen.

Upon further analysis of the impact of lower compliance more typical in real-world populations, it was found that four-year cardiovascular events increased for the two-tablet regimen to 6,990, as against 6,859 for the one-tablet regimen.

The researchers concluded that the one-tablet regimen was less costly, and at least as effective as the two-tablet regimen.

The study was presented at the American Heart Association's 8th Scientific Forum on Quality of Care and Outcomes Research in Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke.

ANI