Prestim in the management of mild to moderate essential hypertension in general practice

Fifty-three hypertensive patients from one practice, of whom forty-two were new patients, were treated with Prestim--a fixed dose combination of 10 mg timolol maleate and 2.5 mg bendrofluazide. After a 2-week placebo run-in period, dose titration took place at weekly intervals up to a maximum of 4 tablets daily. Stabilized patients were followed-up at 3 months and approximately 1 year. At the 3-month follow-up, forty-nine patients were evaluated. Forty-two patients (85%) were well controlled (diastolic blood pressure below 95 mm Hg) on Prestim at a mean daily dose of 1.4 tablets. Four patients stopped therapy due to side-effects and in three patients the blood pressure was uncontrolled on the maximum dose of 4 tablets daily. After 1 year, thirty-four patients (75%) were still well controlled on a mean dose of 1.3 tablets daily. A further two patients were lost to follow-up and six other patients stopped therapy during the last nine months of the study. There were no unexpected side-effects and the general biochemical profile remained unaltered.