New developments in antihypertensive drugs

New developments in antihypertensive drug treatment include optimizing the use of established drugs, the introduction of novel compounds, and a renewed appreciation that hypertension is but one of various cardiovascular risk factors that must be addressed in managing the patient with raised blood pressure. Thus, the approach used must be tailored to the individual patient both in terms of drug choice and dose as well as preventive measures. New drug development depends very much on improving our understanding of the pathophysiologic mechanisms involved in hypertension and seems likely to be applied at the level of the renin angiotensin system and other local factors governing vascular smooth muscle function.