Improving drug adherence using fixed combinations caused beneficial treatment outcomes and decreased health-care costs in patients with hypertension.
We enrolled 196 patients with hypertension who were already being treated with free-drug combinations of angiotensin-II receptor blocker (ARB) and amlodipine. The free-drug combinations of ARB and amlodipine were replaced with the same dose of the fixed-dose combinations. The average home blood pressure (BP) in all patients receiving fixed-dose combinations was significantly lower than those receiving free-drug combinations (131 ± 10/75 ± 8 vs. 136 ± 11/77 ± 9 mm Hg, P < .01) accompanied with increasing drug adherence. After lowering BP by fixed-dose combinations, the costs for medications decreased by 31% over the 3 months.
Department of Cardiology and Nephrology, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, Tsu, Mie, Japan.
Naoto
N
Kumagai
Katsuya
K
Onishi
Kozo
K
Hoshino
Shiro
S
Nakamori
Tamaki
T
Kitai
Takahiro
T
Yazu
Masahiro
M
Oota
Yuji
Y
Ueda
Naoto
N
Hiraoka
Shinya
S
Okamoto
Tomomi
T
Yamada
Kaoru
K
Dohi
Mashio
M
Nakamura
Masaaki
M
Ito
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D017311:Amlodipine / Q000191:economics / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D057911:Angiotensin Receptor Antagonists / Q000191:economics / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001562:Benzimidazoles / Q000191:economics / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001565:Benzoates / Q000191:economics / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001713:Biphenyl Compounds; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D018660:Blood Pressure Monitoring, Ambulatory; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers / Q000191:economics / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D017048:Health Care Costs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000191:economics* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D055118:Medication Adherence; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D000077333:Telmisartan; D013777:Tetrazoles / Q000191:economics / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014633:Valine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000191:economics / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000068756:Valsartan
D057911:Angiotensin Receptor Antagonists; D001562:Benzimidazoles; D001565:Benzoates; D001713:Biphenyl Compounds; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers; D013777:Tetrazoles; D017311:Amlodipine; D000068756:Valsartan; D014633:Valine; C081643:candesartan; D000077333:Telmisartan