An 8-week, randomized, double-blind, controlled study with single-pill combinations of telmisartan 40 mg or 80 mg/amlodipine 5 mg (T40/A5 or T80/A5) vs monotherapy with amlodipine 5 mg or 10 mg (A10) in 1097 patients with uncontrolled hypertension (diastolic blood pressure [BP] ≥ 90 mm Hg). T40/A5 and T80/A5 resulted in significantly greater (P<.0001) reductions in seated trough systolic/diastolic BP vs A5 (-7.4 mm Hg/-3.6 mm Hg; -8.8 mm Hg/-4.9 mm Hg) and a significantly greater (P<.001) proportion of patients achieving systolic/diastolic BP goal rate (60.0%/56.7%; 65.7%/63.8%) vs A5 (39.2%/42.0%). Superior BP reductions were also seen with T40-T80/A5 vs A10, with BP goal rates at least as high as with A10; however, there was significantly more peripheral edema with A10 (27.2% vs 4.3% for pooled T40-T80/A5; P<.0001). Switching patients with uncontrolled BP to a single-pill combination of T40/A5 or T80/A5 is a better treatment option than up-titration to full-dose monotherapy with A10.
© 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.