Exforge shows safety and efficacy in bp study

Swiss drug major Novartis says that data from clinical trials of Exforge (amlodipine and valsartan), its combination antihypertensive medication, show that it reduces blood pressure by an average of 36-29mmHg in patients suffering from severe hypertension. The firm added that a subsequent sub-group analysis demonstrated that, in subjects with systolic blood pressures of 180mmHg or more, treatment brought about an average reduction of 43-26mmHg.

Novartis went on to say that the drug was associated with a lower incidence of ankle edema, a common side effect of such treatments, than was observed in patients who received amlodipine alone. The firm added that, because the product is delivered as a single pill, it is in keeping with the guidelines of the British Hypertension Society which advocate the use of fixed drug combinations as a means of increasing treatment compliance.

Neil Poulter, a professor of preventative cardiovascular medicine at St Mary's Hospital in London, UK, said that Exforge could deliver significant blood pressure reductions for the country's five million hypertensive patients who have not achieved BHS defined targets.