There’s a blood pressure medication on the horizon and researchers hope it will be more effective and easier for patients to take regularly. Called the “triple pill” by its developers, the new medication is aimed at those with mild to moderate hypertension. It’s actually a combo of lower doses of the already-existing medications: 20mg of telmisartan, 2.5 mg of amlodipine, and 12.5 mg of chlorthalidone. In a new study in JAMA, researchers had a group of participants take the triple pill in place of their former medicine routine and compared them to a control group that kept the same prior regimen. After 6 months, a larger number of the group taking the triple pill medication had effectively lowered their blood pressure than those in the control group. The results are promising and could have a large impact worldwide, particularly for those in developing and economically depressed areas in part by lowering the cost of medication. This is a boon for overall health, considering that in 2008, the World Health Organization (WHO) collected data that revealed that over 40 percent of people worldwide over the age of 25 had some form of hypertension. Since hypertension is a risk factor for heart disease and stroke, the WHO also estimates that hypertension is a contributing factor to 7.5 million deaths per year. Read more about the CDC’s goal of preventing one million heart attacks and strokes. Patients can learn more about hypertension and all aspects of heart disease and prevention with reliable video-based information on their mobile device using the free CardioVisual app.