Perindopril: a long-term certainty in treating hypertension

Blockade of the renin angiotensin aldosterone system (RAAS) is currently considered to be the gold standard of antihypertensive therapy. ACE inhibitors and AT1-blockers are clinically the most relevant groups of RAAS blockers. Even though both drug groups block angiotensin II, ACE inhibitors typically reduce the degradation of bradykinin, which leads to the release of nitric oxide and prostaglandins with subsequent vasodilation. These differences in the mechanism of action can be of clinical relevance for hypertensive patients. Morbidity mortality studies of RAAS blockers have been reported in which ACE inhibitors, particularly perindopril, improved the overall survival in hypertensive patients. In the ONTARGET trial, a direct comparison of both drug groups yielded comparable results. Perindopril, which has been used in the clinical practice for more than 25 years, is a long-acting lipophilic angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor with a once-daily dosage schedule and a high affinity to tissue-converting enzyme. Its safety, efficacy, and very good tolerance have been shown in a number of studies. It is part of many fixed combinations which improve patient compliance and increase the effect of treatment of cardiovascular diseases.