Ambulatory blood pressure response to once-daily fimasartan: an 8-week, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, active-comparator, parallel-group study in Korean patients with mild to moderate essential hypertension.

BACKGROUND: Fimasartan, a selective angiotensin II type 1 receptor blocker, was approved in Korea for the treatment of patients with mild to moderate hypertension.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the 24-hour blood pressure (BP) profiles before and after 8-week treatment with fimasartan and to compare them with those of valsartan.

METHODS: A multicenter, randomized, double-blind, active-controlled, parallel-group study was conducted using ambulatory BP monitoring (ABPM). Korean patients with mild to moderate essential hypertension were enrolled and randomly received once-daily oral fimasartan 60 or 120 mg or valsartan 80 mg for 8 weeks. ABPM was performed before and after 8-week treatment, and clinic BP was also measured. Based on ABPM data, trough-to-peak ratio and smoothness index were derived. Tolerability was monitored throughout the study.

RESULTS: Ninety-two patients were enrolled (mean [SD] age, 54.1 [8.2] years; weight, 67.9 [10.2] kg). After 8 weeks, 24-hour, daytime, and nighttime mean ambulatory systolic and diastolic BPs (SBP and DBP, respectively) were significantly decreased in all 3 treatment groups (range: SBP, -9.2 to -15.6 mm Hg; DBP, -5.0 to -10.7 mm Hg; P <0.0001-<0.05). The global trough-to-peak ratios of ambulatory DBP in the fimasartan groups were 0.74 (60 mg/d) and 0.81 (120 mg/d)--45.1% and 58.8% higher, respectively, than the ratio of 0.51 in the valsartan group. Fimasartan 60 mg/d was associated with 53.5% (SBP) and 68.3% (DBP) greater smoothness index scores compared with those with valsartan 80 mg/d (SBP, 1.52 vs. 0.99; DBP, 1.38 vs. 0.82). The decrease in clinic-measured DBP was significantly greater in the fimasartan 60-mg/d group compared with that in the valsartan 80-mg/d group (-14.0 vs -8.7 mm Hg; P = 0.0380). Fimasartan was well tolerated; headache was the most common adverse event.

CONCLUSION: Once-daily fimasartan effectively maintained a BP-reduction profile over the full 24-hour dosing interval; this profile was comparable to or slightly better than that of once-daily valsartan. Fimasartan was well tolerated; headache was the most common adverse event.