title: Combined therapy with benazepril and amlodipine in the treatment of hypertension inadequately controlled by an ACE inhibitor alone.
abstract: In a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, we evaluated the efficacy and tolerability of the combination of benazepril, 10 mg, and amlodipine, 2.5 or 5 mg once daily, compared with benazepril, 10 mg, monotherapy in patients with hypertension inadequately controlled with angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE)-inhibitor monotherapy. After a 2-week placebo and 4-week single-blind benazepril, 10 mg once daily, run-in period, 448 patients, 213 men and 235 women, aged 24-73 years (mean, 55 years), with mean diastolic blood pressure (DBP) > or =95 and < or =120 mm Hg at the end of the benazepril run-in period, were randomized to receive one of the following treatments once daily for 8 weeks: (a) benazepril, 10 mg, plus placebo (BZ10); (b) benazepril, 10 mg, plus amlodipine, 2.5 mg (BZ10/AML2.5); or (c) benazepril, 10 mg, plus amlodipine, 5 mg (BZ10/AML5). Before the patients were admitted to the trial, at the end of the placebo run-in and the benazepril run-in period and at the end of weeks 4 and 8 of the treatment period, sitting and standing blood pressure (BP), heart rate (HR), and body weight were measured 22-26 h after the intake of the trial medication. Both BZ10/AML2.5 and BZ10/AML5 combinations showed better antihypertensive activity than did BZ10 monotherapy at the terminal visit as demonstrated by (a) the 24-h postdosing sitting and standing systolic BP (SBP) and DBP values, which were statistically lower with combination therapy than with BZ10; (b) the success rate, which was statistically higher with both the combinations (69.2% in the BZ10/AML2.5 and 65.8% in the BZ10/AML5 group) compared with the BZ10 group (40.5%). The tolerability was good in the three treatment groups. No significant abnormal laboratory data were detected. There was no difference in efficacy and safety/tolerability between the BZ10/AML2.5 and BZ10/AML5 groups.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine and Therapeutics, University of Pavia, Italy.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Fogari
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Corea
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Cardoni
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cosmi
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Porcellati
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Innocenti
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Provvidenza
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Timio
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bentivoglio
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bertocchi
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zoppi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D017311:Amlodipine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000806:Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001552:Benzazepines / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010919:Placebos
chemical_list: D000806:Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents; D001552:Benzazepines; D010919:Placebos; D017311:Amlodipine; C044946:benazepril