The Candesartan medication and Lisinopril Micro-albuminuria (CALM) study was one of the first to show that combining two drugs—an angiotensin-coverting enzyme (ACE)-inhibitor and an angio-tensin II receptor blocker—might be more effective than one drug in keeping blood pressure (BP) down in patients with diabetes. The CALM II study aimed to compare the long-term safety and efficacy of dual blockade with a single drug.

Patients received either lisinopril (e.g., Generic Zestril, AstraZeneca) 40 mg daily or candesartan cilexitil (Atacand drug, Astra-Zeneca) 16 mg daily and canadian lisinopril 20 mg daily. Fifteen of the 75 patients also needed a thiazide diuretic because of insufficient BP reduction.

Both treatments reduced systolic BP and stabilized the urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio. Dual blockade was more effective for daytime BP and 24-hour and night systolic BP, but the trend was not significant.

The American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association have released revised guidelines for managing patients with unstable angina (UA)/non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI). UA and NSTEMI are acute manifestations of coronary artery disease.

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The FDA has approved a once-daily tablet combining amlodipine drags (Norvasc), a calcium-channel blocker, and olmesartan medoxomil (Benicar), an angio-tensin-receptor blocker, for the treatment of hypertension drags. In clinical trials, Azor pro duced significant mean reductions in systolic and diastolic blood pressure. When compared with generic amlodipine 10 mg alone, Azor 10/40 mg resulted in a 53% greater reduction in systolic blood pressure.

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Two common classes of blood pressure medications—angiotensin-conver ting enzyme (ACE)-inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers—might be equally effective in controlling blood pressure.

In a study by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), ACE-inhibitors were slightly more likely than ARBs to cause a harmless but persistent dry cough. More research is needed to learn how the two types of agents differ in their longer-term benefits and risks and how they differ in decreasing the risk of heart attack, stroke, or death.

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Researchers from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have discovered five genetic variants related to blood pressure (BP) in African-Americans. This genome-wide association study may provide new clues to treating and preventing hypertension in this population.

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Valturna (Novartis), a tablet combining aliskiren and valsartan drug , is the first medication to target two key points within the renin angiotensin-aldosterone system. This drug is indicated for the treatment of hypertension that has not been adequately controlled with aliskiren or monotherapy with an angiotensin-receptor blocker and as an initial therapy for patients who may need multiple drugs to achieve their blood pressure (BP) goals.

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