ANTIHYPERTENSIVE EFFICACY AND TOLERABILITY OF LOW‐DOSE PERINDOPRIL/INDAPAMIDE COMBINATION COMPARED WITH LOSARTAN IN THE TREATMENT OF ESSENTIAL HYPERTENSION

The aim of the study was to evaluate the antihypertensive efficacy and tolerability of the low‐dose combination of the angiotensin‐converting enzyme inhibitor perindopril 2 mg plus the diuretic indapamide 0.625 mg (P/I) compared with the angiotensin II antagonist losartan 50 mg (L50) in the treatment of essential hypertension. Patients (n=277) were randomised, double‐blind and allocated to receive either P/I or L50 once daily for a period of 12 weeks. Responder and normalisation rates in the two groups were compared by a chi2 test. Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring results were compared using the one‐tailed Student's t‐test. Normalisation rates were significantly greater in the P/I group (76.0%) than in the L50 group (60.0%) (p=0.009). Responder rates were significantly higher in the P/I group (91.7%) than in the L50 group (81.8%) (p=0.025). The average blood pressure reductions were: in sSBP (P/I‐L50 = ‐2.4 mmHg; CI: 6.2; 1.3) and sDBP (P/I‐L50 = ‐2.0 mmHg; CI: ‐4.2; 0.2). The average night‐time SBP decrease (ABPM) was significantly greater in the P/I group (p=0.041). The tolerability was comparable between the two groups in terms of emergent adverse events related to treatment (12.4% for P/I patients and 8.4% for L50 patients). Laboratory evaluations did not show any significant variations. It was concluded the low‐dose P/I combination had significantly higher responder and normalisation rates than L50. This study also confirmed the good tolerability of both treatments.