New Delhi, Jul 28
Using a single pill comprising two blood pressure medicines is a safe and highly effective way to treat hypertension among South Asians, particularly Indians, finds a study led by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi.
The study, in partnership with the Centre for Chronic Disease Control (CCDC) and Imperial College London, UK, compared three widely used drug combinations: amlodipine plus perindopril, amlodipine plus indapamide, and perindopril plus indapamide.
The first randomised trial to test three different two-drug combination pills among South Asians involved over 1,200 patients with uncontrolled hypertension across 32 hospitals in India.
"All three combinations worked equally well in reducing blood pressure and were safe for patients,” revealed the study, published in the journal Nature Medicine.
The findings showed that either of the two-drug combinations led to a significant drop in blood pressure after 6 months -- by around 14/8 mmHg when measured over 24 hours and about 30/14 mmHg in clinic settings.
“Nearly 70 per cent of patients got their blood pressure under control, a huge improvement over the current national average. And the pills were safe and easy to use. This study gives clear guidance for better hypertension care,” said Dr Ambuj Roy, Professor of Cardiology at AIIMS Delhi.