Efficacy of captopril and hydrochlorothiazide administered once a day

One hundred and ten mild and moderately hypertensive patients were treated with a fixed combination of captopril 50 mg and hydrochlorothiazide 25 mg (Capozide 50) once daily for 12 months. Eighty four patients were treated initially with Capozide 50 12 hourly for 3 months before receiving Capozide 50 o.d.; the other 26 patients received Capozide 50 as initial treatment immediately after the placebo run-in period. Blood pressures were measured 24 hours after ingestion of the drug. Capozide 50 once daily induced statistically significant reductions in supine blood pressure and these beneficial effects were sustained throughout the duration of the trial. In patients receiving Capozide 50 as initial therapy, a gradual hypotensive effect was seen. No clinically significant changes in biochemical or haematological variables were recorded although a small but statistically significant rise in uric acid was noted. This latter effect was attributed to the thiazide component of the combination. The efficacy and safety profile of this once-a-day compound makes it an ideal therapeutic agent for the management of mild and moderate hypertension.