Novartis’s Lotrel reduced cardiovascular events in hypertensive patients

Treatment with combination therapy resulted in exceptional blood pressure control at 30 months. Before entering the study, almost all patients were treated with multiple high blood pressure medicines. At study entry, only 37% of the study population had a blood pressure of <140/90mmHg, regarded in treatment guidelines as the appropriate goal for most patients. After switching to a single-pill combination of the study medications, 82% of patients taking Lotrel and 79% of patients taking the benazepril and hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) combination achieved blood pressure goal after 30 months. Some patients received additional medication to treat their high blood pressure. The Accomplish trial is claimed to be the first cardiovascular outcomes trial in a hypertensive population where all patients were randomized to receive a single-pill combination treatment at the onset of the trial as opposed to a step care regimen. The full data will be available later this year and further analyses will examine the effects on specific patient populations. Kenneth Jamerson, lead investigator of the trial, said: "These results suggest that the combination of the angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor and calcium channel blocker in Lotrel yielded better patient outcomes in high-risk hypertensive patients than the ACEI and HCTZ combination. Further, a strategy of starting patients in the trial on a single-pill combination proved to be very efficient in significantly increasing blood pressure control rates."