Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Hypertension: Rationale and Design of Studies to Investigate the Effects of Controlled-Release Carvedilol on Regression of Left Ventricular Hypertrophy and Lipid Profile

Patients at high risk for hypertension may require several therapeutic agents to lower their blood pressure to guideline-recommended targets. Some antihypertensive agents are more effective than others in protecting against cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Numerous β-blocking agents have been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of hypertension. Previous trials have demonstrated that although all β-blockers effectively reduce blood pressure, there are differences in how they affect various metabolic factors. In 2 trials, a novel controlled-release (CR) formulation of carvedilol will be tested against other selective β-blockers to determine whether differences exist in their individual effects on cardiovascular risk factors. These will be the first head-to-head trials using carvedilol CR to determine whether the differing pharmacologic actions among β-blockers result in varying effects on cardiovascular risk factors.