Previous comparative studies of Losartan and Candesartan, two
drugs for treating high blood pressure, have put health service
officials around the world in a serious dilemma: There is an
increased risk of death among heart-failure patients who take
Losartan – which is cheap because the patent on the drug has
expired – while the more expensive Candesartan is more
effective. Health service officials have thus had to decide
whether to prescribe the dearer Candesartan to save lives. But
making that decision is now easier thanks to a comprehensive
analysis of the two types of medicine for treating high blood
pressure when the patients are given comparable, medium-to-high
doses. “Contrary to previous observational studies, we cannot
see any differences in this new study in the effects of the two
drugs,” says Henrik Svanström, who conducts research in health
statistics at the State Serum Institute. “So it doesn’t matter
which drug the patient gets.” Svanström is the lead author of a
paper describing the study, publi