Daily pill with 3 low-dose drugs more effective in lowering BP: Study

New Delhi, Aug 31: For those suffering from uncontrolled hypertension, here comes good news. New research on Saturday showed that a single pill with low doses of three anti-hypertensive drugs, once a day, significantly lowered blood pressure than other standard care methods.

It is estimated that over a billion adults live with hypertension worldwide, with two-thirds living in low- and middle-income countries.

The treatment based on novel combination of low doses of three anti-hypertensive drugs in a single pill - known as ‘GMRx2’ - was found to be superior to a high-quality standard care treatment plan at lowering blood pressure in patients, according to the study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). The ‘GMRx2’ treatment plan involved a once daily pill containing telmisartan, amlodipine and indapamide at a quarter, half or standard doses.

The standard care treatment plan was recommended by the Nigerian Ministry of Health began with monotherapy, followed by dual and triple combination therapy, and was typical of hypertension guidelines for many countries.

Results of the trial was led by The George Institute for Global Health and presented at the ‘European Society of Cardiology Congress 2024’.

After six-month treatment, home systolic blood pressure was 31 mm Hg lower in the 'GMRx2' group compared to 26 mm Hg lower with standard care. The 5.8 mm Hg difference was highly clinically and statistically significant.

Existing evidence shows that with every 5 mm Hg reduction in systolic blood pressure there is a 10 per cent reduction in major cardiovascular events such as stroke, heart attack and heart failure, the study noted.

After just one month, 81 per cent of participants in the ‘GMRx2’ group achieved clinic-measured blood pressure control versus 55 per cent with standard care.

“The triple pill still produced clinically meaningful reductions in blood pressure compared to standard care, even when standard care closely followed current guidelines and involved more clinic visits,” said Professor Dike Ojji, head of the cardiovascular research unit at the University of Abuja, Nigeria.