A comparative analysis of amlodipine and felodipine in a military outpatient population: efficacy, outcomes, and cost considerations.

Background: This retrospective study compared the efficacy, tolerability, and cost of two dihydropyridine calcium channel blockers.

Methods: Charts of patients who had been on continuous antihypertensive therapy with amlodipine or felodipine for at least 6 months were reviewed. Analyses include mean changes in blood pressure, percentage of patients achieving blood pressure (BP) < 140/90 mm Hg, average dose, and cost per day of the two calcium channel blockers, average cost of additional medication, total medication cost per day, and cost to achieve BP control.

Results: Eighty-seven percent of amlodipine-treated patients achieved BP control compared with 33% of felodipine-treated patients. Total medication cost to achieve BP control was 0.87 dollars per day for patients on amlodipine compared with 1.79 dollars per day for patients on felodipine.

Conclusions: Amlodipine produced BP control in a greater percentage of patients than did felodipine at a lower total cost to achieve BP control. When evaluating the total cost of antihypertensive treatment, the cost of a drug alone can be misleading.