LONDON - New findings from Europe's biggest trial of hypertensive patients shows that Pfizer Inc.'s hypertension drug Norvasc is quite promising in preventing the occurrence of diabetes in patients with high blood pressure.
Norvasc is amilodipine or a calcium channel blocker. It was found to be 34 percent more effective in reducing the risk of diabetes in hypertensive patients than beta-blockers, which are extensively used in treating blood pressure. The study involving almost 20,000 patients is an important finding since diabetes increases risk of heart attacks and strokes.
Of the 19,257 patients in the study, 14,120 did not have diabetes at the beginning. Only 1,366 of these developed diabetes during the study. Patients using Norvasc and Coversyl had reduced diabetes risk with only 8 percent developing the condition, while 11.4 percent of patients taking beta-blocker atenolol became diabetic.
Professor Peter Sever of Imperial College in London, co-chairman of the study said the findings were a clue to the fact that beta blockers are no longer effective blood pressure drugs in terms of preventing diabetes. "In my view, the major culprit is the beta-blocker," he told Reuters. He was referring to the fact that beta blockers prevent blood flow to to muscles, thus preventive proper metabolization of glucose.
