my personal edition > hypertension > news


  E-Mail this DGReview to a colleague

DGReview

Lisinopril/Nifedipine GITS Combination More Effective Than Either Drug Alone In Reducing Blood Pressure

Lisinopril and nifedipine GITS (Gastrointestinal Therapeutic System), combined, control blood pressure more effectively than does either drug as monotherapy.

Researchers from the University of Pisa and other Italian centres enrolled 51 essential hypertension patients, aged on average 54.4 years, to evaluate the combination therapy. In the clinic, subject diastolic blood pressures were between 105 and 115 mm Hg. Following a 4-week run-in period of receiving placebo, the patients were randomised for another 4-week period to either lisinopril 20 mg or nifedipine GITS 30 mg, alone, or a combination of both.

It was found that lisinopril and nifedipine GITS monotherapy reduced clinic and 24-hour average blood pressure compared to baseline. However, the drug combination reduced these blood pressure measurements to a greater extent than either drug alone.

Furthermore, the combination was associated with a greater "smoothness index" - which measures the homogeneity of the blood pressure reduction - more than either agent alone. This improvement emerged for systolic and diastolic blood pressures. The combination did not significantly increase trough-to-peak ratios for either systolic or diastolic blood pressure.

The authors concluded that combining lisinopril and nifedipine GITS produces a more effective and balanced control of blood pressure over 24 hours than monotherapy with either drug alone. Furthermore, the smoothness index offers a better assessment of the homogeneity of blood pressure reduction than the trough-to-peak ratio.
J Cardiovasc Pharmacol 2003;41:4:579-585. "Combination of lisinopril and nifedipine GITS Increases Blood Pressure Control Compared with Single Drugs in Essential Hypertensive Patients"

E-Mail this DGReview to a colleague

To print, use this version