english.prescrire.org > Spotlight > Archives : 2007 > In the June issue of Prescrire International: Atorvastatin + amlodipine: just a commercial ploy

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Pfizer now markets a fixed-dose combination of atorvastatin + amlodipine (Caduet°) for cardiovascular prevention.

Atorvastatin is not a first-choice statin. Amlodipine is a first-choice calcium channel blocker but not a firstline antihypertensive drug.

This new fixed-dose combination has not been evaluated for its effect on morbidity or mortality.

The apparent convenience of this fixed-dose combination of atorvastatin and amlodipine might lead prescribers to overlook the fact that other statins and antihypertensive drugs have better risk-benefit balances.

When neither component of a fixed-dose combination is a first-choice drug for its indication, then introducing this type of product to the market is a step backwards, not forwards, in overall healthcare quality. But for Pfizer, the name of the game seems to be Profit. ©Prescrire June 2007

Source: Prescrire International 2007; 16 (89): 105.

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