What experts say about hypertension medicines?

 
Hypertension in the Philippines:

According to World Health Organization (WHO), by 2020, annual deaths resulting from heart
disease and stroke could go as high as 20 million. In fact, these are the top two leading causes of
death in the Philippines.

National Nutrition and Health Survey found that seven million Filipinos suffer from
hypertension. The Department of Health data showed that only 13.6% of hypertensives are aware
of their condition since hypertension causes minimal or no symptoms at all.

In dealing with chronic diseases like hypertension, patients must seek help from experts, usually
physicians, who can guide them in proper maintenance and effective management of the disease.
It is the physician’s responsibility to help the patient derive the greatest profit from any therapy.
He needs to make the patient aware of health care costs and benefits – not just about the cost of
medications, but also the amount of money he actually saves when he avoids complications,
hospitalization, and possibly, death. This is especially true if the disease is chronic and long-term
drug intake is required.

The importance of R&D

Dr. Marcelo Imasa, Dean of the College of Pharmacy of Adamson University, emphasized the
importance of considering the value of intensive research and development (R&D) in
medications. R&D is important when it comes to choosing medicines for your illness because
this can determine the safety and efficacy of the medicine that you are taking.

“Amlodipine besylate is definitely a product of well-developed research. It took at least 10 to 15

years of research before amlodipine besylate was launched in the market,” he said.

Amlodipine besylate has been used in 31 billion patient-days of therapy worldwide including the
Philippines. It is the only amlodipine product that is approved and sold in 88 countries.
Numerous landmark trials including the Antihypertensive and Lipid-Lowering Treatment to
Prevent Heart Attack Trial (ALLHAT), the largest hypertension trial conducted in history,
showed that amlodipine besylate-based regimen is comparable to gold standard diuretic in the
prevention of cardiovascular diseases.

He added that amlodipine besylate is a product of research particularly in the selection of salt,
which is an important ingredient of the medicine.

“The development of amlodipine besylate initially involved maleate salt but through extensive
trials, it was discovered that maleate reacts with amlodipine which could result in product
degradation altering its stability, safety and efficacy,” Imasa says.

In the case of amlodipine besylate, with so many years invested and most rigorous processes
involved, clinical trials revealed that besylate is the most suitable salt for amlodipine. Imasa
stressed that “changing the salt can alter the characteristics of drugs and this was shown in a lot
of clinical trials.”

Imasa says longevity is the best gauge that a drug is safe and effective like in the case of
amlodipine besylate.

Awareness is the Key

Dr. Edward Tordesillas, deputy director for administration of the Philippine General
Hospital and past president of the Philippine Academy of Family Physicians admits that a
number of physicians are not aware that the different salt contents of amlodipine vary in
their effects when applied to treatment of hypertension.

"A number of physicians may not be really aware of this salt issue. So what is really
important is to raise their awareness and make them fully understand the difference
among the salts. If you're a responsible family physician, you should bank on research-
based medicines," Dr. Tordesillas noted.

He added that doctors, specifically general medical practitioners who are more visible in
rural areas than specialists, should prescribe evidence-based treatment for patients
particularly in the light of reports that fake and expired drugs have found their way even
among government health facilities.

Giving patients the best value for their money

According to Dr. Romeo Divinagracia, a noted cardiologist and former President of the
Philippine College of Physicians (PCP), hypertension is a lifelong disease. It cannot be
cured completely but it can be controlled through a healthy lifestyle and compliance to
effective medicines.

“Doctors should consider using a drug that will be taken by their patients for a lifetime.
They have to consider a drug that is effective and safe to use over and over”.

For the safe and effective treatment of hypertension, doctors and patients should rely on
proven medicines, which are backed by numerous landmark trials like amlodipine
besylate.

“The side effects of amlodipine besylate are like those of placebos. In other words, it is safe
and effective. Safety and efficacy are the two points you should consider when choosing
medicines for hypertension. When you choose or prescribe medicine for hypertension, in
many instances, it’s going to be for life” Divinagracia said.

In terms of cost efficiency, undergoing treatment via the amlodipine besylate-based

regimen can be considered as the best choice for proper maintenance and treatment of
hypertension. More than focusing on which medicine is less expensive, patients should
consider the long-term benefits that a medicine can provide. They should realize that
investing in well-researched medicines, like amlodipine besylate, with proven efficacy and
safety provides bigger savings in the long run.

Amlodipine besylate is a prescription medicine. Patients are advised to seek medical advice
before taking any prescription medicine. In clinical trials, the most common side effects for
amlodipine besylate versus placebo were edema, headache, fatigue and dizziness.

Since compliance with your doctor’s prescription is a necessary component of improving

patient’s hypertensive condition, Pfizer offers the Sulit Card program where patients can
avail of the tested and proven amlodipine besylate at a 50% discount. The program
likewise provides patients with health information materials and reminders to promote
adherence. Ask your doctors about the need for compliance and how patients had been
helped by Pfizer’s Sulit Card Program.

This health information is brought to you by Pfizer, a global, research-based healthcare

company that discovers, develops, manufactures and markets effective, innovative and safe
medicines for humans and animals, and many of the best-known consumer products. Pfizer
continues to develop safe and effective medicines that are products of many years of
research and development which therefore help reduce costly hospitalizations, loss of
productivity and disruptions in our daily lives.