The Systolic Hypertension in Europe (SYST-EUR) trial is the first clinical study of hypertension to show that treatment with a calcium antagonist is associated with a reduced incidence of cardiovascular events, compared with placebo. The results of the 4695-patient study were presented at the 8th European Meeting on Hypertension [Milan, Italy; June 1997]. Before this study, only &bgr;-blockers and diuretics had been linked to significant reductions in cardiovascular events n patients with hypertension. But a new wave of research has begun to focus on the use of other antihypertensive therapies, such as calcium antagonists and ACE inhibitors. Details of some of the ongoing studies that are exploring the benefits of these non-conventional treatments were discussed at the meeting.