The JEWEL program, (JEWEL I and JEWEL II) funded by Pfizer, was comprised of two studies that were conducted in the UK and Canada (JEWEL I) and 11 European countries (JEWEL II). The program which enrolled a total of 2,245 patients, was designed to assess the effectiveness and safety of single-pill amlodipine/atorvastatin therapy for hypertensive patients with additional CV risk factors in routine clinical practice.
In the 16-week program, patients’ calculated risk of having a fatal cardiovascular event, as determined by the European Society for Cardiology (ESC) Score Card, was reduced, compared to baseline, by a range of 29 to 52% across participating countries.
The data also demonstrated that treatment targets – as defined by European, Canadian and British guidelines recommending the routine use of statin therapy in hypertensive patients with additional risk factors to reduce their total CV risk – can be achieved effectively with Caduet single-pill therapy.
The program shows that providing patients with two effective treatments for the management of hypertension and additional CV risk factors in a single pill continues to provide the efficacy and safety of both amlodipine (Norvasc), and atorvastatin (Lipitor), as the majority of patients (62.9% in JEWEL I and 50.6% in JEWEL II) reached their country-specific targets for both blood pressure and cholesterol.
“We need to move away from treating risk factors for cardiovascular disease individually and adopt a more holistic approach, particularly in patients with hypertension who are likely to have other risk factors,” commented Professor Richard Hobbs, of the UK’s University of Birmingham, who chaired the steering committee for JEWEL I. “Many patients are sub-optimally treated as a result of not maintaining treatment targets over long periods of time.”
“The results of the JEWEL program provide a compelling rationale for treating hypertensive patients with additional risk factors with the single-pill combination Caduet,” added Athanasios Manolis, from Tzanio Hospital, University of Piraeus, Athens, Greece, and co-chair of the steering committee for JEWEL II. “This is a significant advance in the evolution of patient management.”