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New clinical data presented at the American Society of Hypertension (ASH) show that Tekturna HCT 300/25mg, a single-tablet combination of the direct renin inhibitor Tekturna (aliskiren) and the diuretic hydrochlorothiazide (HCT), is twice as effective at reducing blood pressure compared to HCT 25mg alone.
High blood pressure is estimated to affect nearly one in four adults worldwide and remains uncontrolled in nearly 70% of people who have this condition in the United States.
Results of the eight-week study showed that treatment with Tekturna HCT 300/25mg or 150/25mg once a day reduced systolic and diastolic blood pressure by 16.7/10.7mmHg and 12.9/8.5mmHg respectively, compared to 7.1/4.8mmHg in patients with high blood pressure not adequately responding to HCT alone.
Tekturna HCT was well tolerated with fewer occurrences of hypokalemia (low potassium levels in the blood) compared to HCT alone. Tekturna HCT should not be used in patients who have a low urine output or have allergies to sulfa type drugs.
Most patients need two or more medicines to reach their target blood pressure; therefore a single tablet that combines more than one medicine may help make managing blood pressure more convenient.
“High blood pressure, or hypertension, is a serious global problem and we are clearly in need of treatments to help patients reach their target blood pressure levels,” said Alan Gradman, MD, Division of Cardiovascular Diseases at the Western Pennsylvania Hospital in Pittsburgh, USA.
“The data show that Tekturna HCT is an effective and convenient treatment option for patients who have high blood pressure and, as a consequence, have a higher risk of heart attack, heart failure and stroke.”
