Daiichi Sankyo gets first European approval for combo antihypertensive drug Sevikar HCT

The European subsidiary of Japanese drug major Daiichi Sankyo (TKO: 4568) said yesterday that its antihypertensive Sevikar HCT is now approved in Germany, the first market to launch this new once-daily three-in-one combination product for the treatment of high blood pressure (BP). This new drug combines the three widely prescribed blood pressure treatments - olmesartan medoxomil, amlodipine, and hydrochlorothiazide (HCT) - in one single pill to help effectively control hypertension.

The approval of Sevikar HCT(R) in Germany was granted after the European decentralized procedure was closed with a positive recommendation on the drug. With the approval of Sevikar HCT, Daiichi Sankyo offers physicians a comprehensive range of olmesartan based therapies to help them to successfully treat their patients to the accepted target blood pressure of less than 140/90mmHg.

Sevikar HCT, which was approved by the USA’s Food and Drug Administration under the trade name Tribenzor in the summer (The Pharma Letter July 27), is indicated as substitution therapy in adult patients whose blood pressure is adequately controlled on the combination of olmesartan medoxomil, amlodipine and hydrochlorothiazide, taken as a dual-component (olmesartan medoxomil and amlodipine or olmesartan medoxomil and hydrochlorothiazide) and a single-component formulation (hydrochlorothiazide or amlodipine).