Physician and patient preferences for sustained release antihypertensive preparations in the Kumasi Metropolis, Ghana

Abstract

Background: Non-adherence to therapy is a major reason for the low control rate of hypertension in Ghana today. Sustained release (SR) antihypertensive preparations are useful in promoting adherence to therapy because of the reduced daily dosing frequency, stable drug levels and reduced toxicity which enhances compliance. One major concern about SR antihypertensives is whether they can be substituted with one another to produce the same effect. Objectives: This study sought to determine the preferences of physicians and patients for various SR antihypertensive medications in the Kumasi metropolis of Ghana. The views of the respondents on whether the brands of the most used SR antihypertensive were therapeutically equivalent and interchangeable were ascertained. Methods: Seventy-three (73) community pharmacies, 66 doctors and 150 patients in 50 public, private and mission hospitals and clinics within the Kumasi metropolis were purposively sampled. Respondents were interviewed via interviewer administered structured questionnaires and the information gathered was coded, entered into SPSS software version (16) and analysed. The results were presented as frequencies and proportions, and in tables as well as in figures. Results: SR nifedipine was the most stocked and used SR antihypertensive drug while Nifecard XL (30 mg) was the preferred brand of patients and doctors. Clinicians considered effectiveness and compliance as two major reasons for their preference for SR nifedipine while patients considered affordability and availability. Sixty percent of prescribers and 41% of patients were of the opinion that all brands of SR nifedipine were interchangeable. Conclusion: There is a gap between prescribers and patients about SR nifedipine brands interchangeability which needs to be bridged to optimize their use to attain better treatment outcomes in Ghana. There is need for continuous education on concepts of therapeutic equivalence and generics substitution for all stakeholders to address the problem of non-adherence to hypertension therapy in Ghana.