Cadila Pharma, ZAHESFO join hands to launch Hypertension Treatment Guidelines- A First for Zambia

Zambia, July 24, 2019: Cadila Pharmaceuticals in association with ZAHESFO has come up with its own Hypertension Treatment Guidelines to cross this barrier. On 24^th July, these treatment guidelines were launched for the first time in the country. This event was attended by more than 150 leading doctors of Zambia.

Hypertension, has a national prevalence of 19.1% (20.5% in men and 17.6% in women), which rises with age to 50.5% (38.6% in males and 59.4% in females) in the 60-69 age group. Hypertension has been said to cause around 50% of strokes, 42% of heart attack and nearly 10% of deaths. These findings are not surprising, as the country has reported a rise in complications of hypertensions such as heart failure, strokes, kidney failure and heart attacks (MOH, 2014). HTN has been said to cause around 50% of strokes, 42% of heart attacks, and nearly 10% of deaths.

Adequate management of hypertension is said to decrease the risk of stroke by 40% and heart attack by 15%. This has led the WHO and World Heart Federation to promote formulation and use of standard guidelines to treat Hypertension.

Since Zambia lacked such protocols, Dr Fastone Goma, President for Zambia, Heart and Stroke Foundation Society, recognized this necessity and thought about bringing a change. “The WHO lists lack of treatment guidelines at top of the list for major barriers in managing HTN. Hence we decided to come up with these guidelines to provide better care to our people,” he said. He is the chief moderator for these guidelines.

In his speech Dr Vipin Sethi, Head of Global Pharmacovigilance and Medical Affairs, International Business, of Cadila Pharmaceuticals said, “With the launch of these guidelines we aim to provide a simplified treatment guidelines for use in primary healthcare settings where the majority of patients are seen. It is our hope that they can be easily followed by frontline healthcare workers including clinical officers, nurses and pharmacists.”

These guidelines are meant to improve patient compliance and antihypertensive medication. This is a great step for the country paving the way for more such innovations.

Cadila Pharmaceuticals Ltd. is one of the largest privately-held pharmaceutical companies. Over the past six decades, we have been developing and manufacturing affordable medicines for patients around the world. Its innovation-led drug discovery processes ensure the health and well-being of people around the world. Being a care-focused, research-driven company, we are committed to complying with the highest ethical standard in clinical research and medical practice.