New ultra-low dose pill 100% effective in lowering BP: Lancet

A new ultra-low dose four-in-one pill that is 100 per cent effective in lowering high blood pressure has been developed by Australian researchers. Hypertension or high blood pressure which affects around 1.1 billion people worldwide is one of the major risk factors for heart attack, stroke, dementia and kidney disease.

Researchers from the University of Sydney in Australia, prescribed a quadpill -- a single capsule containing four of the most commonly used blood pressure-lowering drugs each at a quarter dose (irbesartan 37•5 mg, amlodipine 1•25 mg, hydrochlorothiazide 6•25 mg, and atenolol 12•5 mg) -- or a placebo to 18 patients in Sydney over four weeks.

The results, published in The Lancet medical journal, revealed that 100 per cent of patients on trial saw their blood levels dropping below 140 over 90, whereas just 33 per cent of patients on the placebo could achieve this rate.

"Most people receive one medicine at a normal dose but that only controls blood pressure about half the time. In this small trial, blood pressure control was achieved for everyone," said Clara Chow, Professor at the University of Sydney in Australia.

Patients who consume the commonly available hypertension-lowering drugs experience side-effects which can vary from swollen ankles to kidney abnormalities depending on the type of class of the drug.

However, the new pill has no such side-effects, the researchers said. "We know that high blood pressure is a precursor to stroke, diabetes and heart attack. The need for even lower blood pressure levels has been widely accepted in the last few years. So this could be an incredibly important step in helping to reduce the burden of disease globally," Chow added.