Special to DG News NEW YORK, NY — May 19, 2002 —
Researchers report that controlled onset extended release verapamil failed to meet its goal of being equivalent in protecting patients against cardiovascular events when compared with usual care for hypertension — specifically with beta blockers or diuretics.
The findings, from one of the largest studies ever performed on the efficacy of a calcium channel blocker for the treatment of hypertension, was presented here Saturday during a late-breaking news oral session at the 17th annual meeting of the American Society of Hypertension. Henry Black, MD, of Rush Presbyterian-St. Luke’s Medical Center, Chicago, and the lead author of the CONVINCE (Controlled Onset Verapamil Investigation of Cardiovascular Endpoints) trial, suggested that if the trial had not been truncated by its sponsor (Pharmacia Corporation, Peapack, New Jersey) two years ahead of schedule, the agent would likely have succeeded in being found equivalent to the other medications.
The patients in the study were greater than 55 years of age, had high blood pressure and one other risk factor for heart disease. “These were patients at high risk,” Dr. Black said. Between Sept. 30, 1996 and Dec. 18, 1998, 661 investigators in the United States, Canada, Brazil, Israel and Europe recruited 16,602 patients for the study.
The primary goal was to show that verapamil would be similar in its ability to protect patients from fatal or non-fatal heart attacks, fatal or non-fatal strokes, or cardiovascular-disease related death, Dr. Black said. The study was designed so that equivalence would be achieved if patients in the verapamil arm of the study were no more than at a 16 percent higher risk of an event when compared to the atenolol or hydrochlorothiazide arm of the study.
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