Open AccessClinical Outcomes and Healthcare Costs in Hypertensive Patients Treated With a Fixed‐Dose Combination of Amlodipine/Valsartan
Author(s) -
Tung YingChang,
Lin YuSheng,
Wu LungSheng,
Chang CheeJen,
Chu PaoHsien
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
the journal of clinical hypertension
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.909
H-Index - 67
eISSN - 1751-7176
pISSN - 1524-6175
DOI - 10.1111/jch.12449
Subject(s) - medicine , amlodipine , valsartan , fixed dose combination , health care , blood pressure , economics , economic growth
This retrospective claims database analysis compared two strategies of hypertension treatment in outpatient, emergency, and inpatient departments: a fixed‐dose combination ( FDC ) of amlodipine/valsartan vs free combinations of angiotensin receptor blockers ( ARB s) and calcium channel blockers ( CCB s) ( ARB + CCB group). After a mean follow‐up of 15.2 months, the FDC group had significantly lower total healthcare costs ( US $1844 vs US $2158; P <.001) and hospitalization rates (14.57% vs 18.43%; P <.001), a higher proportion of days covered (80.35% vs 72.57%; P <.001), and better persistence (266 vs 225 days; P <.001) compared with the ARB + CCB group. The FDC group also had a better major adverse cardiovascular event ( MACE )–free survival (hazard ratio, 0.83; 95% confidence interval, 0.73–0.94; P =.003) and decreased rates of heart failure (2.12% vs 3.26%; P <.001), malignant dysrhythmia (0.18% vs 0.42%; P =.021), and percutaneous coronary intervention (0.76% vs 1.26%; P =.015). Compared with free combinations of ARB + CCB , an FDC of amlodipine/valsartan improved MACE ‐free survival and medication compliance and decreased total healthcare costs and hospitalization rates in hypertensive patients.