Fixed combination of amlodipine and atorvastatin in cardiovascular risk management: patient perspectives

Madhuri Devabhaktuni¹, Sripal Bangalore²

¹Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, St Luke’s Roosevelt Hospital, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY, USA; ²Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

Abstract: Hypertension and dyslipidemia are two of the most commonly co-occurring cardiovascular risk factors which together cause an increase in coronary heart disease-related events that is more than simply additive for anticipated event rates with each condition. Data have shown that even relatively small reductions in both blood pressure and cholesterol levels can lead to large reductions in the risk for cardiovascular events. However, though there are robust data on the beneficial effect of concomitant reduction in these risk factors, the reality is that this is achieved in ‹10% of patients. There is nonadherence with prescribed therapies with up to 50% of patients stopping their medications of their own volition for a variety of reasons. There is a reasonable evidence base to suggest that simplifying drug regimens and reducing pill burden will enhance patient adherence. The fixed-dose combination containing the antihypertensive agent amlodipine besylate and the statin atorvastatin is the first combination of its kind, which is both efficacious and safe and could potentially improve medication compliance, thereby improving the outcomes in these patients.

Keywords: amlodipine, atorvastatin, compliance, dyslipidemia, fixed-dose combination, hypertension