Study Shows Two-Drug Combination Pill Effective in Managing Hypertension
New Delhi: A single pill combining two blood pressure medications has been found to be a safe and effective treatment for hypertension among South Asians, especially in India, according to a new study led by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi.
The findings, published in the journal Nature Medicine, come from the first randomised clinical trial to compare different two-drug combinations specifically in South Asian patients. The study was conducted in partnership with the Centre for Chronic Disease Control (CCDC) and Imperial College London, UK, and involved over 1,200 patients with uncontrolled hypertension across 32 hospitals in India.
Researchers tested three widely used drug combinations: amlodipine plus perindopril, amlodipine plus indapamide, and perindopril plus indapamide. All three combinations were found to be equally effective in lowering blood pressure and were considered safe.
“All three combinations worked equally well in reducing blood pressure and were safe for patients,” the researchers reported.
After six months of treatment, patients experienced a significant reduction in blood pressure around 14/8 mmHg over 24-hour monitoring and approximately 30/14 mmHg in clinic measurements.
“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.
“This study shows that a single daily pill with two drugs can be a simple and powerful way to manage blood pressure in Indian and South Asian patients,” said Dr Dorairaj Prabhakaran, Executive Director of CCDC.
Hypertension is a leading cause of death worldwide and affects more than 300 million people in India. Early and effective treatment is crucial to prevent heart attacks, strokes, and kidney failure.
Nearly 70 per cent of participants using the dual therapy reached the target blood pressure of below 140/90 mmHg, which is five times higher than India’s current national average. Less than 3 per cent of patients reported side effects serious enough to stop the treatment.
“These findings can help guide doctors and policymakers. If added to India’s list of essential medicines and made available at primary health centres, these pills could greatly improve blood pressure control in the country,” Prabhakaran added.
(With the inputs from IANS)