The case for single pill combinations.

Although the need for combination therapy of hypertension was obvious from the early intervention trials, administration of such therapy as fixed-dose or single-pill combinations has only reached general acceptance in recent years. The main reason for this change of mind documented in the recommendation of using single-pill combinations in almost every recent hypertension guideline is our increasing knowledge about non-adherence to drug therapy. In the multifactorial origin of non-adherence, the complexity of therapy, especially in elderly patients with comorbidities and polypharmacy, has been identified as a major factor involved. So an important rule in hypertension treatment, and maybe in drug therapy in general, is to keep things as simple as possible.