News - Hypertension Week of April 27, 2003/ Vol. 2 No. 17

Survey: Physicians Won't Cut Use of ACE Inhibtors for Hypertension

Physicians do not expect to decrease their prescribing of ACE inhibitors to control hypertension, according to a survey of 300 physicians conducted by the New Jersey research firm Market Measures/Corzint.

The findings may be surprising in light of recent findings from the controversial ALLHAT clinical trial that found diuretics to be superior among other hypertensive drugs in preventing major cardiovascular events.

Market Measures/Corzint officials said the jury appears still to be out, as the controversial ALLHAT results run counter to those of other major trials that found that ACE inhibitors are superior to diuretics

Diuretics are already the most frequently-used class of hypertensive drug as the survey found them to be prescribed either alone or in conjunction with other drugs by 98 percent of the physicians who responded.

Market Measures/Corzint said the low-cost of diuretics may figure into their popularity particularly among elderly patients, even though generic versions of ACE inhibitors are available that enables them to compete with diuretics on the cost front.

The survey also reported a growing trend toward physicians prescribing more than one drug against hypertension across all levels of severity. Physicians are also more likely to add another drug to a failed first-line therapy than switching to another drug or class of drugs.

"Prescribing patterns could change, with diuretic usage realizing gains at the expense of ACE inhibitors and calcium channel blockers, if the ALLHAT findings are adopted in the new Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure," said Elizabeth Rountree, Executive Vice President at Market Measures/Cozint.

Other sources: Market Measures/Cozint