Nifedipine gastrointestinal therapeutic system--hypertension management to improve cardiovascular outcomes.

Hypertension is a major cardiovascular risk factor, and its increasing prevalence is of great clinical concern. Despite the availability of numerous effective therapies, hypertension remains under-diagnosed and under-treated. Hypertension often coexists with other risk factors, and current guidelines recommend a multifactorial approach to management, with the aim of not only controlling blood pressure but also reducing overall cardiovascular risk. Nifedipine gastrointestinal therapeutic system (GITS) is a long-acting formulation of a calcium channel blocker. Once-daily dosing with nifedipine GITS has been shown to achieve smooth and continuous blood pressure control, identical to conventional first-line diuretic therapy. Small-scale clinical trials have also shown that nifedipine GITS positively affects markers of atherosclerotic disease, which may signify an additional clinical benefit, but this is yet to be demonstrated. The recently completed ACTION (A Coronary Disease Trial Investigating Outcome with Nifedipine GITS) trial provides further evidence that nifedipine GITS can be used safely in high-risk patients to treat angina, lower blood pressure and significantly improve clinical outcomes.