A large study has provided fresh evidence that a drug widely used to treat high blood pressure may not be the best option for many patients. A Swedish team analysed data on more than 105,000 people and found beta blockers were not as effective as other drugs in reducing high blood pressure. The Lancet findings echo a high profile international study last month which found modern drugs were more effective. Beta blockers are used to treat more than two million UK people alone. Across the world, more than a quarter of the adult population - nearly one billion people - have high blood pressure. The researchers, from Umea University Hospital, first challenged the effectiveness of beta blockers last year in a preliminary study. They found that one of the drugs, atenolol, was less effective than other drugs at reducing the risk of heart and circulation problems in patients with high blood pressure.
