PATIENT COMPLIANCE AND THERAPEUTIC COVERAGE - COMPARISON OF AMLODIPINE AND SLOW-RELEASE NIFEDIPINE IN THE TREATMENT OF HYPERTENSION

To study patient compliance in hypertensive outpatients amlodipine (5 mg once daily) and slow release nifedipine (20 mg twice daily) were co mpared in an open, crossover study in general practices. Four methods of assessment for patient compliance (pill count, taking compliance, d ays with correct dosing, timing compliance) were used in both study ar ms. For the latter three assessment a special device, the medication e vent monitoring system, was used to record the time and date of each o pening and closure of the container. The compliance of the 320 hyperte nsive patients with once-daily amlodipine was markedly superior to twi ce-daily slow release nifedipine. Therapeutic coverage was also signif icantly better for amlodipine in the hypertensive patients. Amlodipine was better tolerated than nifedipine slow release. Patient compliance and therapeutic coverage with the calcium antagonist amlodipine given once daily was superior to slow release nifedipine b.d. in hypertensi ve outpatients recruited in general practice.