Presented at the ESC 2021 World Cardiology Conference, this pill containing 4 drugs helped control blood pressure in 80% of trial participants, and without causing side effects.
- Tested in a randomized, controlled clinical trial, this “4 in 1” pill contains four drugs, each at a quarter of its usual dose.
- Its use resulted in blood pressure control in 80% of participants within 12 weeks. The hypotensive effects were maintained 12 months after the start of treatment and without side effects.
First cause of death in the world, arterial hypertension (HTA) is a silent disease that affects more than one in three French people. However, according to Santé Publique France, half of people suffering from hypertension are unaware of their condition and therefore do not take any treatment.
However, this disease can have serious consequences: by stiffening the walls of the arteries, the hyperpressure of the blood causes them to age prematurely, which exposes them to a major risk of cardiovascular accidents, in particular myocardial infarction, but also to strokes. brain and kidney failure.
To reduce blood pressure, there are many treatments, which all act differently on hypertension. Given as monotherapy, that is, when treatment begins with a single drug, these blood pressure medications are not always effective.
In a new Australian study published in The Lancet and presented at the European Society of Cardiology conference, the ESC Congress 2021, researchers from the University of Sydney detail a new therapeutic strategy. This involves giving x patients a pill containing four drugs, each at a quarter of its usual dose. Tested in a large-scale, randomized, controlled clinical trial, this “4-in-1” pill helped control the blood pressure of 80% of participants in 12 weeks, compared to 60% in the control group who nevertheless had access to better care.
A significant reduction in hypertension without side effects
Called Quadruple UltrA-low-dose tReatment for hypErTension (QUARTET), this pill has been tested in a clinical trial involving 591 participants with high blood pressure, either without treatment or as monotherapy, at 10 centers in Australia. After 12 weeks of testing, the group testing this quadripill saw their blood pressure drop significantly compared to the control group. These differences were maintained when monitoring blood pressure 12 months after the start of treatment. No difference in side effects was observed.
“Our trial overwhelmingly demonstrated the efficacy, tolerability and safety of this very low dose combination strategy – a potentially simple and scalable hypertension management strategy for treating hypertension”Professor Anthony Rodgers, the study’s lead author, told the ESC Congress.
The research team now wants to test this pill with people who have reported side effects with their current treatment. “We would like to know if switching to a very low dose combination can improve things”said Professor Clara Chow, co-lead author.
“Furthermore, the WHO hypertension guidelines released this week, along with other recent hypertension guidelines in Europe, the United States and elsewhere, recommend that most patients start with two medications. against hypertension rather than just one. We need to know how that compares to a four-pill strategy.”
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