Lisinopril has been compared with slow-release nifedipine in a 16-week double-blind, randomized, parallel-group study involving 102 patients with mild to moderate hypertension. Sitting systolic and diastolic blood pressures were reduced 6 and 5 mmHg more by lisinopril than by nifedipine over 12 weeks monotherapy. After 12 weeks a greater proportion of patients taking lisinopril was controlled (sitting diastolic blood pressure below 95 mmHg) than in those taking nifedipine. As a result, 17% of those taking lisinopril and 38% of those taking nifedipine required additional therapy with hydrochlorothiazide. The addition of hydrochlorothiazide resulted in similar response rates in the lisinopril and nifedipine groups (89% and 75% respectively). The rate of reporting of adverse events considered to be drug-related and the rate of withdrawals were similar for both treatments. Cough was more often reported with lisinopril and headache, sweating, and hot flushes with nifedipine. We conclude that once-daily titrated doses of lisinopril produced better control of blood pressure than twice-daily titrated doses of nifedipine.
