Triple-drug, fixed-dose combinations for the treatment of hypertension: focus on olmesartan/amlodipine/hydrochlorothiazide combination.

Hypertension is a major risk factor for cardiovascular, renal and stroke complications. Its incidence continues to rise worldwide, and it is projected that by the year 2025, 1 billion people will be hypertensive. Despite the enormity of the high blood pressure burden, its control to < 140/90 mmHg for uncomplicated hypertensives and < 130/80 mmHg for patients with diabetes mellitus, chronic kidney disease or coronary artery disease remains poor and currently stands at approximately 50%. Reasons for this poor control include physician inertia and poor patient compliance and adherence due mostly to complicated drug regimens. Since hypertension is a multifactorial condition, its control will require the administration of multiple drugs with complimentary mechanisms of action. Several studies have shown that the patient's compliance and adherence to treatment is inversely related with the number of drugs administered. It is, therefore, important to combine different drugs with complimentary mechanisms of action into a single pill. Recent studies have shown that triple-drug combinations are very effective, safe and well tolerated by the patients. Three different triple-drug, fixed-dose combinations have recently been approved by the FDA for the treatment of hypertension, including, olmesartan medoxomil/amlodipine besylate/hydrochlorothiazide. These studies with collateral literature will be discussed in this concise review.