Clinical and cost-effectiveness of ACE inhibitors in patients with arterial hypertension and coronary heart disease

Abstract

Aim. To compare clinical and cost-effectiveness of ACE inhibitors in patients with arterial hypertension (AH) and coronary heart disease (CHD), aiming to guide the appropriate medication selection process.

Material and methods. The study included 60 patients, receiving standard combined pharmaceutical treatment, plus perindopril, or moexipril, or fosinopril (n=20 in each group). At Day 7, all patients were administered ramipril.

Results. Clinical effectiveness of fosinopril, moexipril, perindopril and ramipril was similar: in all groups, significant blood pressure reduction was achieved by Day 6 and sustained till Day 38 of ramipril therapy. All ACE inhibitors were well-tolerated. Maximal cost-effectiveness ("minimal cost" method) was observed for ramipril.

Conclusion. Assessing clinical and cost-effectiveness of various medications from one pharmacological group could be used for developing pharmaceutical therapy standards aimed to guide the medication selection process in individual patients.