Comparison of Telmisartan with Lisinopril in Patients with Mild-to-Moderate Hypertension

In this study, telmisartan, a new angiotensin AT ( 1 ) receptor antagonist given as monotherapy and in combination with hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ), was compared with lisinopril as monotherapy and in combination with HCTZ. This 52-week, randomized, multicenter, double-blind, double-dummy, parallel-group, dose-titration study of 578 patients with mild-to-moderate essential hypertension (mean diastolic blood pressure [DBP], >/=95 mm Hg), compared the efficacy and safety of telmisartan (n = 385) with lisinopril (n = 193). Dosage could be increased for both telmisartan (40 --> 80 --> 160 mg) and lisinopril (10 --> 20 --> 40 mg) at each of the first 2 monthly visits if DBP control (<90 mm Hg) had not been established. Once DBP control was established, patients entered the 48-week maintenance period. During this period, the dose of the study drug was fixed, although open-label HCTZ at 12.5 mg or 25 mg was added, when needed, to regain DBP control. At the end of the titration period, DBP control was achieved on monotherapy by 67% and 63% of the telmisartan and lisinopril patients, respectively. At the end of the maintenance period, supine DBP was controlled in 83% and 87% of the telmisartan and lisinopril patients, respectively, with systolic blood pressure over DBP reductions of 23.8/16.6 mm Hg for telmisartan and 19.9/15.6 mm Hg for lisinopril. Treatment-related side effects occurred in fewer telmisartan-treated patients (28%) than in lisinopril-treated patients (40%; P =.001). Significantly fewer patients (P =.018) receiving telmisartan experienced treatment-related cough (3% v 7%), and cough led to discontinuation significantly less often (P =.007) with telmisartan treatment than with lisinopril treatment (0.3% v 3.1%). In addition, two cases of angioedema were observed, both in the lisinopril group. The selective AT (1) receptor antagonist, telmisartan, is extremely effective in the treatment of mild-to-moderate hypertension both as monotherapy and in combination with HCTZ and is at least comparable in efficacy to lisinopril, with a tolerability profile that may offer advantages in terms of a reduced incidence of adverse events.