CURRENT MEDICAL RESEARCH AND OPINION

Background: Hypertension is one of the most important causes of cardiovascular disease, and treatment of hypertension leads to a significant reduction in cardiovascular mortality and morbidity. Although calcium channel blockers are regarded as an important part of the therapeutic armamentarium against cardiovascular diseases, and are among the most frequently prescribed anti hypertensive medications, concern has been aroused about these drugs, particularly the short-acting dihydropyridine derivatives. However, the value of nifedipine GITS (Adalat-Crono*), the long-acting dihydropyridine, is in need of being re-established. Objective: To compare the effectiveness, safety and tolerability of once-daily nifedipine and amlodipine treatment in patients with mild-to-moderate essential hypertension. Design: Randomised multicentre trial with an open comparison of treatments for 12 weeks, with a preceding placebo run-in period of 2 weeks (patients on beta-blockers at the time of enrolment entered a mandatory 2-week wash-out period before being allowed in the placebo run-in period; this wash-out period was one week for patients using any antihypertensive medication other than beta-blockers)