Tag Archives: ace inhibitor

ACE Inhibitor Improves Walking In People with Peripheral Artery Disease Reply

by • Prevention, Epidemiology & Outcomes • Tags: , , , ,

Giving an ACE inhibitor to people with peripheral artery disease (PAD) and intermittent claudication reduces pain and increases walking time, according to a new study published in JAMA. Currently the pharmacologic options for this patient population are few and have limited efficacy.

Researchers at three Australian hospitals randomized 212 patients with PAD to receive the ACE inhibitor ramipril or placebo for 24 weeks. Compared to the patients on placebo, patients on the ACE inhibitor had a mean 75 second increase in their pain-free walking time (156 seconds in the placebo group versus 229 seconds in the ramipril group, p<0.001) and a 255-second increase in their maximum walking time (259 seconds in the placebo group versus 512 seconds in the ramipril group, p<.001).  The ACE inhibitor was also associated with improvements in other secondary measures of walking and physical quality of life.

Click here to read the full story on Forbes.

Patients waiting at the clinic. PARAGUAY.

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Study Warns Against Dual Blockade of Renin-Angiotensin System In Heart Failure And Hypertension 1

by • Heart Failure, Policy & Ethics, Prevention, Epidemiology & Outcomes • Tags: , , , ,

The enormous success of ACE inhibitors in hypertension and heart failure spurred hope that adding a second drug to block the renin-angiotensin system would yield improved outcomes. Although definitive evidence supporting dual blockade of the renin-angiotensin system has never been found, more than 200,000 patients in the US currently receive  this therapy. Now a large new meta-analysis suggests that dual blockade results in no improvement in mortality but is associated with an increase in important adverse events.

In a paper published online in BMJ, Harikrishna Makani and colleagues at Columbia University and New York University performed a meta-analysis of more than 68,000 patients who were enrolled in clinical trials comparing dual blockade of the renin-angiotensin system with monotherapy. They found no significant difference between the groups for all cause mortality or cardiovascular mortality, although dual blockade was associated with a signifcant 18% reduction in hospital admission for heart failure:

Click here to read the full article on Forbes.

 

Acute Kidney Injury Associated With Dual Antihypertensive Therapy And NSAIDs Reply

by • Prevention, Epidemiology & Outcomes • Tags: , , , , , ,

Adding a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) to dual antihypertensive therapy (a diuretic plus either an ACE inhibitor or an angiotensin receptor blocker) is associated with an increase in risk for kidney injury, according to a large new retrospective study published in BMJ.

Click here to read the complete story on Forbes.

 

ALTITUDE Study of Aliskiren Terminated Early by Novartis 2

by • Uncategorized • Tags: ,

Novartis announced today the early termination of the ALTITUDE trial, which was testing the effect of the direct renin inhibitor aliskiren (Rasilez, Tekturna) in type 2 diabetics at high risk for cardiovascular and renal events. The action was based on the recommendation of the independent Data Monitoring Committee (DMC), after it found an increased risk for non-fatal stroke, renal complications, hyperkalemia, and hypotension in patients taking aliskiren after 18-24 months. Patients in ALTITUDE were randomized to receive aliskiren or placebo in addition to an ACE inhibitor or an angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB).

The company is also recommending that physicians not prescribe drugs containing aliskiren with either an ACE inhibitor or an ARB. Patients who are already taking a combination pill should be switched to an alternative anti-hypertensive regimen, according to the company.

The action represents a major setback for a drug that had once been thought to have blockbuster potential. Novartis said it was immediately ceasing all promotion of products containing aliskiren and was talking with health authorities about the implications of the findings.
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