Pharmaceutical compositions for antihypertensive treatments: a patent review.

INTRODUCTION: New drug formulations against hypertension have a vital role in the quality of human life, as this risk factor for cardiovascular disease can be life threatening. A modern life style characterized by less exercise, smoking, drinking and poor diet has increased the risk of developing hypertension, the so-called silent killer, in civilized communities and thus an urgent defense is needed against this enemy. AREAS COVERED: In this review, the authors provide extensive information on pharmaceutical formulations containing anti-hypertensive drugs, as well as on general and specific patents. Thus, readers can understand the advances and new trends in the field. EXPERT OPINION: A considerable effort has been made to provide new and improved formulations, comprising anti-hypertensive drugs with new excipients, appropriate particle size, containing alkaline salts or included in cyclodextrins in an attempt to avoid known existing problems. New types of formulations are expected to emerge in the near future that will allow for more effective and spatiotemporally controlled drug delivery, which will be better tolerated by the patients and will provide better pharmaceutical treatment. Such an example is the new cocktail formulations that contain more than one active component, act synergistically and therefore have optimized pharmacological benefits. Formulations using multitarget antihypertensive drugs are also expected to be commercially available in the near future.