“The JAMA study was an extensive chart review of over 38,000 patients at low risk for heart disease who had stage two hypertension (blood pressure between 149/90 and 159/99) and were treated with blood pressure medications. Over an average follow-up time of almost six years, they found no reduction in the risk of cardiovascular disease events or risk of death with medication use. They did, however, find an increased risk for low blood pressure, fainting, and acute kidney injury among those treated with medications.”
The problem* with blood pressure medication is that all a medication has to do is show a reduction in blood pressure…not a benefit in total mortality. And you can apply this drug to any class of patients, even those with low risk for heart disease, as was done here.
Unfortunately, it was only a chart review and not an actual RCT.