The costs of treatment of hypertension in Switzerland and worldwide.

Extrapolation from one country to another concerning costs of treatment of essential hypertension has to be made with caution because of wide variation of socio-economic differences and governmental price setting attitudes. The worldwide antihypertensive drug market shows a strong increase in the last few years and reflects the evolution away from diuretics and toward the more expensive ACE inhibitors and calcium antagonists, with a decreasing percent market of beta-blockers and absolute stagnation in other antihypertensives outside these four groups of drugs.