World Hypertension Day 2013: New Sevikar® data and the Daiichi Sankyo patient support programme highlight importance of effective blood pressure management
Germany (ots)
* Lack of patient adherence to hypertension treatment is one of the root causes of failure to reach blood pressure goals, contributing to increased risk of serious cardiovascular events
* The Daiichi Sankyo myHypertensionCare patient support programme aims to improve patient engagement and adherence to treatment - www.myhypertensioncare.eu
* New clinical trial data compare fixed dose combination treatment olmesartan/amlodipine with perindopril and amlodipine in reducing central aortic blood pressure
World Hypertension Day helps to build awareness of a "silent killer" that affects 1.5 billion people and causes 7.6 million premature deaths worldwide.(1,2) In Europe, less than 50% of treated hypertensive patients achieve target blood pressure control (<140/90mmHg), and more than half of the hypertensive patients (>=140/90mmHg) go untreated.(3,4) "In order to tackle this challenge Italy and France have committed to the ambitious goal of achieving blood pressure control for at least 70% of hypertension patients by 2015,? said Professor Josep Redón, President of the European Society of Hypertension. "The European Society of Hypertension fully supports initiatives like this and we will be meeting with more local European hypertension societies to secure their support and work to make this a common goal."
To support physicians and help patients achieve target blood pressure goals, to ultimately lower risks for serious cardiovascular events, Daiichi Sankyo is contributing by continuing to investigate the benefits of fixed dose combination (FDC) treatments. 80-85% of hypertensive patients have the potential to achieve blood pressure control with multiple-drug combinations.(5) FDC therapy, which is the preferred treatment option according to the European guidelines for hypertension management, simplifies hypertension treatment to help improve patient adherence and clinical outcomes.(5)
New clinical trial data, from the phase 4 Sevitension Study, will be presented at the 23rd European Meeting on Hypertension and Cardiovascular Protection (ESH) in Milan , comparing FDC treatment olmesartan and amlodipine with perindopril and amlodipine in reducing central aortic blood pressure.(6)
Optimising hypertension management will also be a focus of the Daiichi Sankyo and Menarini Group satellite symposium - Ten Years of Olmesartan: Tailoring Patient Care, taking place at the ESH on Friday 14 June, 15.00-17.00
"In addition to our continued investigation of antihypertensive treatments powered by olmesartan, we are very proud of the Daiichi Sankyo HypertensionCare Programme that helps patients and physicians to more effectively control blood pressure levels," said Joris Versteden, Senior Director Medical Affairs , Daiichi Sankyo Europe.
The interactive patient support site myhypertensioncare.eu in Europe consists of three elements: one site dedicated to providing tools for healthcare professionals; one providing information and guidance for patients and their relatives; and a third specifically to support patients on adherence to treatment.
Treatment adherence is a real challenge for patients with arterial hypertension, with approximately 50% of patients discontinuing treatment after one year.(7) A lack of adherence to treatment has been identified as one of the important causes of failure to reach blood pressure goals.(8) The myHypertensionCare patient support programme aims to improve patient understanding, engagement and compliance with lifestyle changes and treatment, improving clinical outcomes.(8,9)
NOTES TO EDITORS
About Sevikar
Sevikar is a fixed-dose combination of olmesartan and amlodipine: Sevikar delivers powerful blood pressure lowering action through a convenient once-daily, single pill fixed-dose combination, allowing the majority of patients to reach their target blood pressure.
About Daiichi Sankyo Europe
Daiichi Sankyo's European base is located in Munich and has affiliates in 12 European countries in addition to a global manufacturing site located in Pfaffenhofen, Germany. For more information, please visit: www.daiichi-sankyo.eu
References
1. World Hypertension Day Brochure, 2013, initiated by the World Hypertension League
2. Lawes, CM, Vander Hoorn, S. & Rodgers, A. Global burden of blood-pressure-related disease, 2001. Lancet 2008; 371 (9623):1513-8
3. Wang YR, Alexander GC, Stafford RS, Outpatient Hypertension Treatment. Treatment Intensification, and Control in Western Europe and the United States. Arch Intern Med. 2007;167(2):141-147
4. Wolf-Maier K et al. Hypertension Treatment and control in five European countries, Canada, and the United States.
5. Mancia G, Laurent S, Agabiti-Rosei E, et al. Reappraisal of European guidelines on hypertension management: a European Society of Hypertension Task Force document. Journal of Hypertension 2009, 27:000-000
6. Comparison of Sevikar® and the Combination of Perindopril/Amlodipine on Central Blood Pressure. http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01101009. Accessed May 2013.
7. Vrijens B, Vincze G, Kristanto P, et al. Adherence to prescribed antihypertensive drug treatments: longitudinal study of electronically compiled dosing histories. BMJ. 2008;336:1114-1117.
8. World Health Organization Report 2003: Adherence to Long-Term Therapies. www.who.int/chp/knowledge/publications/adherence_full_report.pdf. Accessed May 2013.
9. Corrao G, Parodi A, Nicotra F, et al. Better compliance to antihypertensive medications reduces cardiovascular risk. J Hypertens 2011; 29(3): 610-618.
Contact:
Product Communications
Lydia Worms
European Product PR Senior Manager
Phone +49 89 7808 751
lydia.worms@daiichi-sankyo.eu