| ■ Combo High Blood Pressure Pill Beats Single Drug: Study | 2011.01.13 |
| Using two drugs to treat high blood pressure is more effective than a single drug, according to a new study. Researchers followed 1,254 patients with high blood pressure in 10 countries who received a single drug (either aliskiren or amlodipine) or a combination of the two drugs, BBC News reported. The patients who took the combination of drugs had a 25 percent better response over six months and had fewer side effects than those who took a single drug. The study, published n The Lancet, was funded by Novartis, which makes amlodipine and aliskiren. "This study adds significantly to the evidence that starting treatment for patients with high blood pressure with two medicines rather than one is safe, and more effective than waiting to add the second medicine later," Jeremy Pearson, associate medical director at the British Heart Foundation, told BBC News. The combination pill was approved last year by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. |