New Drug Treatment Cuts Risk of Heart Attack in Half

Recent data produced by the European ASCOT study has shown a dramatic reduction in heart attack risk from combining two drugs: Atorvastatin, used to treat high cholesterol, and Amlodipine, a calcium channel blocker used to treat high blood pressure.

The data shows that in just 90 days, the drug combination reduced the risk of blood pressure related heart attack by more than 50% and also reduced the risk of high blood pressure related stroke by about 25%.

Previous research has not been successful at identifying such powerful combination effects of high blood pressure drugs on heart attack. Prior to the current study, ASCOT directors had tried a similar combination therapy using Atenolol, another type of high blood pressure medication, and only achieved a risk reduction of 16%.

This data has the potential to change the way that high blood pressure treatment is conducted, since the benefit is so large, and the time for effect is so low.

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Calcium Channel Blockers
Beta Blockers