How commonly used is amlodipine?

Amlodipine is a long-acting dihydropyridine calcium channel blocker (DHP CCB) which is primarily used to treat hypertension and angina either alone or in combination with other drugs. Once daily dosing produces a sustained effect of 24-hour blood pressure control with a relatively low incidence of side effects.¹ Current guidelines recommend the option of initiating single or multidrug therapy when initial blood pressure readings are elevated, including the use of calcium channel blockers, specifically.^2,3

Several analyses of prescribing trends suggest that amlodipine is becoming more common. Hwang et al analyzed prescription claims data from the Marketscan database of employer-based insurance programs representing nearly 30 million Americans between 2008 and 2014.⁴ Use of DHP CCBs, including amlodipine, increased 6.8% among people with treatment-resistant hypertension over that time period. The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey found 20.9% of 261,854 adult hypertensives were taking calcium channel blockers in 2010.⁵ Amlodipine was the most frequently used CCB, often in combination therapy. According to Medicare Part D claims data from 2016, 7,836,052 beneficiaries took amlodipine between 2012 and 2016, either alone or in combination with other drugs.⁶ Compare these numbers with the most commonly prescribed anti-hypertensive, lisinopril, which was prescribed to 46,573,906 beneficiaries, alone or in combination, over the same period.

^References 

1. Sheraz MA, Ahsan SF, Khan MF, Ahmed S, Ahmad I. Formulations of amlodipine: a review. J Pharm 2016; 2016 : 1-11.
2. Whelton PK, Carey RM, Aronow WS, et al. 2017 ACC/AHA/AAPA/ABC/ACPM/AGS/APhA/ASH/ASPC/NMA/PCNA Guideline for the prevention, detection, evaluation, and management of high blood pressure in adults: a report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association task force on clinical practice guidelines. J Am Coll Cardiol 2018; 71 (19): e127-e248.
3. Flack JM, Sica DA, Bakris G, et al. Management of high blood pressure in blacks: an update of the International Society on Hypertension in Blacks consensus statement. Hypertension 2010; 56 (5): 780-800.
4. Hwang AY, Dave C, Smith SM. Trends in antihypertensive medication use among US patients with resistant hypertension, 2008 to 2014. Hypertension 2016; 68 (6): 1349-1354.
5. Gu Q, Burt VL, Dillon CF, Yoon S. Trends in antihypertensive medication use and blood pressure control among united states adults with hypertension: The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2001 to 2010. Circulation 2012; 126 (17): 2105-2114.
6. US Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Medicare Drug Spending Part D All Drugs 2016. Accessed June 1, 2018.