LONDON, Sept. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- A landmark six-year study of more than
6,000 stroke sufferers worldwide has discovered large benefits of blood
pressure lowering treatments, even for people without high blood pressure.
    Researchers reported reductions of one-quarter to one-half in the risk of
further strokes and heart attacks among stroke patients from Europe, Asia and
Australasia, given blood pressure lowering treatment based on the ACE
inhibitor drug, perindopril.
    Results from 'PROGRESS'* published today in The Lancet show that one in
every eleven stroke sufferers given perindopril together with another drug,
indapamide, avoided either death, heart attack or further stroke over five
years of treatment.
    One of the study's chief investigators, Dr. Stephen MacMahon from the
Institute for International Health at the University of Sydney, Australia,
said, "The results provide clear evidence of major health gains for these high
risk patients.  If the findings are applied widely, many millions of stroke
sufferers worldwide would be spared unnecessary suffering."
    World health statistics indicate that about five million people die from
stroke every year and at least 15 million others suffer non-fatal strokes that
are frequently disabling. About one in six survivors will suffer another
stroke or heart attack within five years.
    The study chairman, Professor John Chalmers also from The University of
Sydney, described the study results as "a huge step forward." "It was thought
that blood pressure lowering drugs were only useful for patients with high
blood pressure, but we have shown that perindopril and indapamide have
beneficial effects, not only for those with high blood pressure, but also for
the much larger number of stroke patients with normal blood pressure," said
Chalmers.  More than two-thirds of all strokes occur in people who do not have
high blood pressure as defined by World Health Organization standards.
    At present, blood pressure lowering drugs are given to only a minority of
people who suffer a stroke or transient ischaemic attack (mini-stroke). "There
is a strong case for making this treatment available to most stroke patients,
irrespective of their age and blood pressure and irrespective of the other
treatments they may be receiving," said MacMahon.  "The benefits are unusually
large and occur in a wide range of patients. There were very few
side-effects."
    At present, aspirin is the only treatment given widely to patients after
stroke, but it is not suitable for people who have suffered some particularly
dangerous types of stroke, such as cerebral haemorrhage.  In PROGRESS,
perindopril and indapamide together reduced the risk of stroke by
three-quarters among patients who had previously suffered a cerebral
haemorrhage.
    The study was conducted in 172 hospitals in Europe, Asia and Australasia
by an independent group of medical researchers, supported by grants from
medical research agencies in Australia and New Zealand, together with the
French pharmaceutical company, Servier.  Perindopril and indapamide are
registered in most countries around the world for the treatment of high blood
pressure.

     * (Perindopril pROtection aGainst REcurrent Stroke Study)


       For further information please contact:
       Katherine Vince                 Terrie Agnew
       Ruder Finn Healthcare           Institute for International Health
       (Tel) 212 715-1568              (Tel) +61 2 9351 0012
       (Fax) 212-583-2702              (Fax) +61 2 9351 0008
       vincek@ruderfinn.com            tagnew@iih.usyd.edu.au
       http://www.e-progress.org       http://www.iih.org

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