( ACTION-trial shows medical and economi...)Calcium Channel Blocker Adalat GITS Offer Additional Benefits,Health

ACTION-trial shows medical and economic advantages of nifedipine GITS therapy


LEVERKUSEN, Germany, March 28, 2007 – Two recently published articles in the Journal of Clinical Epidemiology provide further evidence that the use of the long-acting calcium channel blocker (CCB) nifedipine GITS (Adalat? GITS) has additional benefits beyond its blood pressure lowing effect. A first publication from Lubsen et al. (Journal of Clinical Epidemiology 2007; first published online) demonstrates that while the blood pressure lowering effect of nifedipine GITS did play a major role in the reduction of debilitating stroke and new overt heart failure, the anti-anginal and vascular protective effects of nifedipine GITS seem to be just as important in reducing cardiovascular events. A second publication by Poole-Wilson et al. (Journal of Clinical Epidemiology 2007; first published online) also demonstrates that a nifedipine GITS therapy in patients with stable angina can help contain healthcare expenses by reducing the need for additional medication and the use of expensive diagnostic and surgical procedures. Both these papers are based on analyses of the ACTION-database. ACTION (A Coronary Disease Trial Investigating Outcome with Nifedipine GITS) collected data from 7,665 patients with stable angina pectoris.

Lowering blood pressure helps reduce stroke and heart failure
The ACTION-trial showed that adding nifedipine GITS to a best practice angina pectoris therapy significantly reduced the incidence of any stroke or TIA (28%) and the development of new overt heart failure (29%). Using an innovative statistical approach, Lubsen et al. found that nifedipine GITS’ ability to lower systolic blood pressure was largely responsible for these impressive results. The reduction in the risks of coronary angiography and surgery, attributed to nifedipine GITS on the other hand, are likely to be d
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