Key result
A review of antihypertensive therapy indicates that while about 80% of patients can be well controlled with current drugs, the proper use of existing agents is as important as developing new ones.
Proper use of existing antihypertensive drugs is as important as developing new ones, given that approximately 80% of patients can already achieve blood pressure control.
Emphasizes optimizing existing antihypertensives in practice; leaves open the incremental benefit of novel agents.
The progress made during 30 years of research on blood-pressure lowering agents has resulted in the satisfactory situation that aboat 80% of hypertensive patients can be well controlled and a major part of the remaining ones improved. A review is given of the presently available groups of antihypertensive drugs and of the various treatment schemes of high blood pressure.Although effective blood-pressure control is possible in the large majority of patients, search for new antihypertensive agents continues. Various examples of “symbiontic” drugs and of new lines of research are given. Certainly, several new drugs will originate from these efforts, but it is doubtful that they will bring decisive progress in the treatment of the disease. With respect to antihypertensive potency, but not regarding tolerability, the asymptotic part of the curve has already been reached. The proper use of the drugs in hand is at least as important as the development of new antihypertensive agents.
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F. Gross (1982) conducted a review in Hypertension. Antihypertensive therapy was evaluated. A review of antihypertensive therapy indicates that while about 80% of patients can be well controlled with current drugs, the proper use of existing agents is as important as developing new ones.