FDA approves three-in-one hypertension treatment

EAST HANOVER, N.J. The Food and Drug Administration has approved a new treatment for hypertension that combines three drugs in one pill.

Novartis announced Thursday that the FDA had approved Exforge HCT (amlodipine, valsartan and hydrochlorothiazide), calling it the only drug of its kind. The drug combines a channel calcium blocker, and angiotensin receptor blocker and a diuretic.

“The majority of people with hypertension will require more than one medication to control their blood pressure, and it’s not uncommon for patients with severe hypertension [or] patients requiring stricter blood pressure control to need three or more medications,” University of Alabama at Birmingham medicine professor David Calhoun stated. “With a triple combination option, appropriate patients may experience a simpler routine of a convenient, once-daily pill to help them control their high blood pressure.”