BP drug launched

The research for an ideal blood-pressure (BP) lowering drug which is effective but with minimal side-effects is still on.

A unique drug called Preterax, based on the novel very-low-dose combination (VLCD) concept, was formally launched at the recent annual convention of the Philippine Heart Association (PHA) at the EDSA Shangri-La Hotel.

The symposium, organized in cooperation with leading pharmaceutical company Servier Phils., featured two internationally renowned speakers, both experts in the fields of high blood pressure and heart disease.

They were Prof. Trefor Morgan of the University of Melbourne, and Prof. Romeo Divinagracia of the University of the East-Ramon Magsaysay Medical Center.

Morgan discussed the VLCD concept, which seeks to optimize BP control by combining very low doses of two complementary blood pressure drugs (Perindopril and Indapamide, the components of Preterax).

The new preparation has been shown to result in a marked reduction in high BP with a minimum of side-effects.

Morgan presented studies conducted abroad documenting Preterax’s superior efficacy and safety compared to other BP-lowering drugs and concluding that VLCD drugs were an attractive option as first line of treatment for high BP.