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Sevikar HCT has been launched in the UK, the first 3-in-1 combination available for the management of hypertension.
This new treatment combines olmesartan medoxomil, amlodipine, and hydrochlorothiazide (HCT) into one single pill to help manage hypertension in controlled patients who have difficulty taking multiple tablets.
Almost 2 million people in the UK are prescribed three or more treatments for their hypertension in order to achieve a blood pressure goal of less than 140/90 mmHg.
However, research shows that up to 80% of patients don’t take their medication as directed by their doctor, meaning a proportion of them may remain uncontrolled and at risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke.
There is also evidence that treatments given to patients as a single-pill fixed dose combination can improve compliance rates, and improve blood pressure control compared with the same medications given separately as two or more pills.
With Sevikar HCT, Daiichi Sankyo now offers physicians a simpler, once-a-day therapy for essential hypertension in patients already controlled on separate prescriptions of Olmesartan Plus and amlodipine.
“A simplified treatment regimen for those patients taking three or more tablets makes eminent sense for hypertension and could lead to improved compliance rates”, says Professor Tony Heagerty, Professor of Medicine and Head of the Cardiovascular Research Group, Manchester University.
Improving medication compliance may have a greater impact on clinical health outcomes than improved treatments.
Stroke, which is often caused by hypertension, is a major health problem in the UK and costs the NHS an estimated £2.8 billion each year, with the overall cost to the English economy estimated at £7 billion each year.
“After lifestyle advice, medication is the most powerful way of managing high blood pressure, but only when it is taken correctly”, says Professor Heagerty.
“It is important to address adherence issues when they crop up, and support our patients where we can to help insure their futures against stroke.”
Sevikar HCT is available in five tailored doses ensuring that patients can be treated with the combination that is right for them.
