Systematic Reviews
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World J Cardiol. Jun 26, 2014; 6(6): 507-513
Published online Jun 26, 2014. doi: 10.4330/wjc.v6.i6.507
Thrapeutic equivalence in the treatment of hypertension: Can lercanidipine and nifedipine GITS be considered to be interchangeable?
Henry L Elliott, Peter A Meredith
Henry L Elliott, Institute of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow G4 0RE, United Kingdom
Peter A Meredith, Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, University of Glasgow, The Western Infirmary, Glasgow G11 6NT, United Kingdom
Author contributions: Elliott HL and Meredith PA contributed equally to this work.
Correspondence to: Peter A Meredith, Senior University Teacher, Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, University of Glasgow, The Western Infirmary, 378 Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow G11 6NT, United Kingdom. peter.meredith@glasgow.ac.uk
Telephone: +44-141-2112748 Fax: +44-141-2112748
Received: December 10, 2013
Revised: April 5, 2014
Accepted: May 8, 2014
Published online: June 26, 2014
Processing time: 198 Days and 12.9 Hours
Core Tip

Core tip: Even in this time of “evidence-based medicine”, there is a widespread presumption of “class effects” in therapeutic practice including that for antihypertensive drug treatments. Thus, guidelines tend to recommend treatment not with specific agents but with groups or classes such as “calcium channel blockers” on the presumption of the therapeutic equivalence or inter-changeability of different agents. This literature review focuses attention on the apparent therapeutic advantage of lercanidipine over nifedipine GITS on the basis of a lower incidence of the adverse effect of peripheral (ankle) oedema. Overall, however, the balance of evidence of efficacy favours nifedipine GITS.