A drug called Exforge, by pharmaceutical Novartis Ag, could help to significantly reduce high blood pressure in black patients.
Using this drug reduces systolic blood pressure more than just amlodipine. Exforge is a combination of both amlodipine and Diovan, two leading medications in the field for treating blood pressure.
Results with Exforge were seen after only two weeks of taking the medication. Studying black patients is of great concern for they are not only the most likely ethnic group to have high blood pressure, but also less likely to achieve blood pressure control even when receiving treatment.
"The large blood pressure reductions seen in this trial were experienced by severe patients who have the most difficulty getting their blood pressure to healthy levels," said Dr. John M. Flack, the lead investigator from Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit. "These data may have a real impact on helping patients who are most at risk."
As promising as Exforge is, it is not the first-line treatment for patients in the difficult-to-treat category. Combination therapy should be used as the first-line treatment. Uncontrolled hypertension can lead to an increased risk of heart attack and/or stroke and lowering systolic blood pressure can cut the risk of these by half.
[Source: Novartis]
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