Efficacy and Safety of Olmesartan Medoxomil in Patients with Stage 1 Hypertension: Blood Pressure Lowering and Goal Achievement

Hypertension is a known risk factor for cardiovascular events and mortality. The risk of cardiovascular events increases with age and is linear above 115/75 mm Hg. It also doubles for every 20/10-mm Hg elevation beyond this level and at every age level. Although guidelines vary somewhat by country, the seventh report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure recommends a blood pressure (BP) goal of < 140/90 mm Hg for patients with uncomplicated hypertension and < 130/80 mm Hg for patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) or renal disease. Based on clinical evidence, patients with stage 1 hypertension (seated cuff systolic BP of 140-159 mm Hg or diastolic BP of 90-99 mm Hg) should be treated to targeted BP levels to reduce cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. The angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) are well tolerated and demonstrate significant BP reduction. Olmesartan medoxomil (OM), an ARB, has been well studied and achieves significant BP lowering and goal achievement with good tolerability. Moreover, combination therapy comprising OM plus hydrochlorothiazide can significantly increase BP goal achievement without significantly increasing adverse events. This review evaluates clinical efficacy and safety data from 5 OM-based studies: 4 dose-titration studies and 1 factorial study. Study results demonstrate that OM +/- hydrochlorothiazide is highly effective in reducing BP while enabling a majority of patients with stage 1 hypertension to achieve BP goal. In addition, OM tolerability data showed that the high achievement of BP goals was not attained at the expense of increased adverse events. This treatment is associated with low discontinuation rates, even in elderly patients and individuals with T2DM. The clinical data presented in this review support OM-based therapy as a rational and safe therapeutic option for patients with stage 1 hypertension.