Efficacy and Safety of a Lercanidipine/Enalapril Fixed-Dose Combination in Hypertensive Patients in Portugal

BACKGROUND: Fixed-dose combinations of hypertensive drugs have been advocated as a suitable option for hypertensive patients who require two or more drugs to achieve blood pressure (BP) targets. OBJECTIVES: Our objective was to assess the efficacy and safety of lercanidipine/enalapril in clinical practice. METHODS: This observational study collected data for patients with hypertension treated by 46 specialists at clinics across Portugal with lercanidipine/enalapril (10/20 mg). The primary outcome measure was the reduction from baseline in systolic BP (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP). RESULTS: The registry enrolled 315 patients (59.1 % females; mean age 64.84 ± 12.18 years). Baseline SBP and DBP were 159.11 ± 16.93 and 88.32 ± 12.35 mmHg, respectively. At a mean 2.88 ± 1.75 months after starting lercanidipine/enalapril, the mean change from baseline in SBP and DBP were -18.08 ± 15.91 and -10.10 ± 11.46 mmHg, respectively (both p < 0.001). This corresponded to reductions of 11.4 and 11.3 % in SBP and DBP, respectively. SBP was reduced independently of sex and age, and DBP was reduced independently of sex. The BP control (<140/90 mmHg) rate significantly increased from 10.2 % at baseline to 51.0 % after a mean of 2.88 months of treatment with lercanidipine/enalapril (p < 0.001). Adverse effects were seen in only one patient (0.3 %), who developed a persistent dry cough. CONCLUSIONS: Treatment with the fixed-dose combination lercanidipine/enalapril was associated with significant reductions in SBP and DBP, and a significant increase in the BP control rate. This fixed-dose combination has been shown to effectively reduce BP, generally independently of age and sex, and with an excellent safety profile.