Perindopril/indapamide combination in the first-line treatment of hypertension and end-organ protection.

This article examines evidence-based findings in the literature on the efficacy of perindopril 2 mg/indapamide 0.625 mg, a first-line, low-dose antihypertensive drug combination. In regulatory Phase II and III trials, perindopril/indapamide significantly lowered blood pressure compared with other first-line therapies (atenolol, losartan and irbesartan). This was also the case in STRAtegies of Treatment in Hypertension: Evaluation, a postregistration study versus current monotherapies and stepped-care therapy with different classes of antihypertensive agents. The efficacy/safety ratio (both clinical and with regard to laboratory parameters) of perindopril/indapamide was good. Perindopril/indapamide provides additional antihypertensive efficacy compared with each component used alone and with current monotherapies, with major efficacy on systolic blood pressure, an important predictor of cardiovascular risk. It also reduces pulse pressure, an independent cardiovascular risk factor, large-vessel arterial stiffness and microcirculatory alterations. The fixed dosage of a once-daily tablet, ensures optimal ease of use and enhances patient compliance. Perindopril/indapamide also reduces target organ damage in patients at high cardiovascular risk, such as patients with cardiac hypertrophy and Type 2 diabetics with albuminuria. These benefits, together with the good efficacy/tolerability ratio, fulfill the requirements of the European Society of Hypertension and of the Seventh Report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure guidelines for low-dose, first-line combination therapy in hypertension.