Contributed by William Angelos| 15 December, 2004 03:22 GMT
A study designed to compare a new strategy for treating hypertension with an old one has been stopped because of positive early results among patients receiving the new course of treatment. The new strategy provided significant cardiovascular benefits, the researchers found.
The 19,000 patient Anglo-Scandinavian Cardiac Outcomes Trial (ASCOT), which began in 1997, has been comparing the two treatment strategies to discover which is better at preventing various cardiovascular events, such as heart attacks and strokes.
'Important Significant Differences'
The older treatment strategy was based on atenolol (beta-blocker) and bendroflumethiazide (thiazide diuretic). It was compared with a newer treatment strategy using amlodipine (calcium channel blocker) and perindopril (angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor).
The blood pressure part of the trial was terminated because of comparative cardiovascular benefits in favor of the newer treatment.
The Steering Committee of ASCOT accepted the November 18 recommendation of its Data Safety Monitoring Board that the blood pressure arm of the trial should be stopped and the majority of patients have been informed.
The main clinical elements of the ASCOT trial have now ended.
"This is excellent news for the many people who suffer from high blood pressure," comment ASCOT study co-chairmen Bj |
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