The potential savings of using thiazides as the first choice antihypertensive drug: cost-minimisation analysis.

ABSTRACT:

Background

All clinical practice guidelines recommend thiazides as a first-choice drug for the management of uncomplicated hypertension. Thiazides are also the lowest priced antihypertensive drugs. Despite this, the use of thiazides is much lower than that of other drug-classes. We wanted to estimate the potential for savings if thiazides were used as the first choice drug for the management of uncomplicated hypertension.

Methods

For six countries (Canada, France, Germany, Norway, the UK and the US) we estimated the number of people that are being treated for hypertension, and the proportion of them that are suitable candidates for thiazide-therapy. By comparing this estimate with thiazide prescribing, we calculated the number of people that could switch from more expensive

SUBMITTER: Fretheim A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC201005 | biostudies-literature | 2003 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature