A leading pharmaceutical company, Sanofi Ghana, has introduced into the country’s medicinal landscape a fixed-dose combination treatment - a mixture of irbesartan and amlodipine - for the effective management of hypertension among patients.

Company officials guaranteed the potency of the combined medicines for the management of the condition and assured patients they would receive quality and affordable treatment solution.

Speaking at the launch, Director of Medical and Regulatory Affairs at Sanofi Nigeria-Ghana, Dr Fifien Inoussa said the treatment was timely going by the high rate of deaths caused by hypertension.

He said more than nine million lives across the globe are lost each year from the condition, which remains elusive to patients.

He said 28.3 per cent of Ghanaians are tested positive with the rate still climbing higher.

“People with uncontrolled hypertension are exposed to many complications including stroke, heart attack, kidney failure and problems with vision,” Inoussa said.

He said the problem could be controlled by adopting healthy diets, changing lifestyle and, in many cases, treat with medicines.

“This unique combination is the result of years of development, clinical studies and safety proofing. “Introduction of Aprovasc is another example of Sanofi’s engagement to always provide advanced and innovative treatments in response to patients’ specific needs with the highest efficacy and comfort”.

“By introducing a new anti-hypertensive treatment, Sanofi demonstrates its commitment to patients through improving access to high quality solution in the field of hypertension management in Ghana,” Abderrahmane chakibi, General Manager, Sanofi, Nigeria-Ghana said.

He said introduction of Aprovasc demonstrate proved another example of the company’s engagement to often provide advanced and innovative treatment in response to patients specific needs with the highest efficacy and comfort.

“This unique combination is the results of years of development, clinical studies and safety proofing,” he added.

The Aprovasc range offers dosage flexibility that allows for individualised treatment and through leveraging the produce availability in Ghana would continue to contribute to making lives of hypertensive patients healthier, the company’s officials said.

The use of fixed dose combination of the drugs would help achieve maximum reduction in long term risk of hypertension such as cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.

The fixed dose combination drug, is a good alternative for patients whose blood pressure has failed to lower even after persistent use of single drug regimen.

For instance, a patient with busy job schedule, when placed on a single drug regimen or monotherapy, would sometimes most likely forget to take the drug or miss a dose during a busy schedule.

However, such people could benefit from fixed dose combination drugs and that would be very essential for the management of hypertension.

In Ghana, it is estimated about that nearly 30 per cent of the urban population in adult aged 18 to 65 years may have hypertension.

But officials of Sanofi said the company would support its access to healthcare ambitions with the opening of diabetes and hypertension clinics in partnership with health authorities to deal the situation.