GlaxoSmithKline has announced that Coreg CR (carvedilol phosphate) extended-release capsules, a once-a-day beta-blocker, are now available at pharmacies nationwide. Coreg CR is FDA-approved to treat three cardiovascular conditions.

High blood pressure, also known as hypertension. A heart attack that has reduced how well the heart pumps (known medically as post-myocardial infarction left ventricular dysfunction). Mild to severe heart failure.

The availability of once-a-day Coreg CR eases the pill burden for patients who previously had to take Coreg (carvedilol) twice-a-day. Coreg CR is bioequivalent to the original formulation of Coreg, which has established a significant role in the treatment of heart disease.

"The once-a-day dosing of Coreg CR simplifies the treatment regimen and offers the potential for improved compliance for patients with heart disease," said Michael A. Weber, professor of medicine, at the Suny Downstate Medical College of Medicine, Brooklyn, New York. "Studies with other older beta blockers show that heart-attack survivors who take less than 75 per cent of their beta blocker regimen in the year after an event are more likely to die than compliant patients; we also know that noncompliance is linked to heart-failure hospitalizations."

Coreg CR is a once-a-day formulation of carvedilol, a medication that has established a significant role in the treatment of heart disease. Key evidence of carvedilol treatment benefits comes from multiple landmark clinical trials.