"We know that at least half of the patients miss at least one dose a month of their medication. We know that a third miss at least two doses a month. If we give them more tablets, they are more likely to miss more doses and that may mean that they are at much higher risk of stroke or of a heart attack," said Prof Thomas Unger, from the Charit?© Hospital in Berlin. "So, I would consider recommending this true once daily single-pill combination of telmisartan and amlodipine to a patient. I genuinely think that by improving a patient's blood pressure control, without having to increase the number of tablets, I could improve the likelihood of reducing his cardiovascular risk avoiding a stroke."

The single pill combination of telmisartan and amlodipine TWYNSTA?® demonstrated in clinical trials that it is effective and well-tolerated in a range of more complex at-risk patients, as well as in those whose blood pressure was previously not controlled on monotherapy. It contains telmisartan, the only ARB clinically proven in reducing the risk of cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, stroke, and hospitalisation for congestive heart failure in a broad cross-section of high-risk cardiovascular patients.

Once approved, the single pill combination of telmisartan and amlodipine (TWYNSTA?®) will be available in a flexible range of dosing regimens enabling physicians to tailor treatment to individual patient needs.

TWYNSTA?® was approved by the FDA on 19 October 2009 for the treatment of hypertension, alone or with other antihypertensive agents, and as initial therapy in patients who are likely to need multiple drugs to achieve their blood pressure goals.

SOURCE Boehringer Ingelheim