Emerging data on calcium-channel blockers: the COHORT study

Multiple studies have demonstrated dihydropyridine calcium-channel blocker (CCB) therapy to be appropriate for the treatment of hypertension, as is reflected in treatment guidelines such as the Sixth Report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure in the United States and the 1999 World Health Organization-International Society of Hypertension report. As with any drug class, successful treatment with CCBs depends on good patient compliance, which often hinges on drug tolerability. The differing characteristics among the various generations of CCBs may contribute to some compounds demonstrating superior tolerability. To test this hypothesis, the COHORT trial (named for the large group of participants) was undertaken in 828 elderly hypertensive patients aged > or = 60 years. This trial investigated the possible differences in patient tolerability between the third-generation agent amlodipine and the latest-generation agents lercanidipine and lacidipine. The primary endpoint of the study was the percentage of patients reporting edema, the most common side effect associated with CCB therapy. The study results indicated that while all three treatments were similarly efficacious in lowering blood pressure, lercanidipine and lacidipine were much better tolerated than amlodipine whether they were used as single agents or as initial therapy combined with other antihypertensive drugs. These newest-generation dihydropyridine CCBs offer the potential to reduce side effects, improve patient compliance, and ultimately help patients reach target blood pressures as recommended by the aforementioned guidelines.