Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH Newer Blood Pressure Drug No Better Than Placebo in Preventing Stroke, McMaster University and University of Miami's Miller School of Medicine Study

Aug. 28 (Bloomberg) -- Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH's Micardis hypertension drug was no better than a placebo in preventing recurring strokes, a company-sponsored study found. Previous research has shown that lowering blood pressure reduced strokes and suggested drugs like Micardis may have additional benefits. The findings come from the Profess trial of 20,332 patients that was released online by the New England Journal of Medicine. The study also showed that Boehringer's blood thinner Aggrenox combined with aspirin was no better than a top-selling competitor, Plavix, in preventing stroke recurrence.