title: Taste acceptability of pulverized brand-name and generic drugs containing amlodipine or candesartan.
abstract: Trials with pulverized brand-name antihypertensive drugs suggest that, from the perspective of taste acceptability, crushed candesartan, chlortalidon, hydrochlorothiazide, lercanidipine and lisinopril should be preferred to pulverized amlodipine, atenolol, bisoprolol, enalapril, irbesartan, losartan, ramipril, telmisartan and valsartan. Brand-name antihypertensive drugs and the corresponding generic medicines have never been compared with respect to their taste acceptability. We therefore investigated among healthy health care workers the taste acceptability of a pulverized 1 mg-test dose of the brand-name and two generics containing either the dihydropyridine calcium-channel blocker amlodipine (Norvasc(®), Amlodipin-Mepha(®) and Amlodipin Pfizer(®)) or the angiotensin receptor antagonist candesartan (Atacand(®), Cansartan-Mepha(®) and Pemzek(®)). For this purpose, a smiley-face scale depicting four degrees of pleasure was used. Between November and December 2013, the taste test was performed among 19 nurses (15 female and 4 male subjects) and 12 physicians (5 female and 7 male subjects) aged between 25 and 49 years. Pulverized brand-names and generics containing either amlodipine or candesartan did not differ with respect to their taste acceptability.
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Department of Southern Switzerland, Bellinzona, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Uestuener
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Department of Southern Switzerland, Bellinzona, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Alessandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ferrarini
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Department of Southern Switzerland, Bellinzona, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Maristella
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Santi
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Department of Southern Switzerland, Bellinzona, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Chiara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mardegan
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Department of Southern Switzerland, Bellinzona, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Mario G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Bianchetti
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Nephrology, University Children's Hospital Bern and University of Bern, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Giacomo D
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Simonetti
authors.affiliation: Foundation IRCCS Ca' Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Pediatric Emergency Department, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Gregorio P
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Milani
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Department of Southern Switzerland, Bellinzona, Switzerland; Pediatric Nephrology, University Children's Hospital Bern and University of Bern, Switzerland. Electronic address: sebastiano.lava@bluewin.ch.
authors.forename: Sebastiano A G
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Lava
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017311:Amlodipine / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D047228:Angiotensin II Type 1 Receptor Blockers / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D001562:Benzimidazoles / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D001713:Biphenyl Compounds; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D002626:Chemistry, Pharmaceutical; D016568:Drugs, Generic / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D016037:Single-Blind Method; D055697:Taste Perception / Q000187:drug effects*; D013777:Tetrazoles / Q000008:administration & dosage*
chemical_list: D047228:Angiotensin II Type 1 Receptor Blockers; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents; D001562:Benzimidazoles; D001713:Biphenyl Compounds; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers; D016568:Drugs, Generic; D013777:Tetrazoles; D017311:Amlodipine; C081643:candesartan
keywords: Amlodipine (PubChem CID: 2162); Angiotensin receptor antagonists; Calcium-channel blockers; Candesartan cilexetil (PubChem CID: 2540); Hypertension; Medication adherence; Taste perception