title: A randomised, double-blind, double-dummy comparison of the efficacy and tolerability of lercanidipine tablets and losartan tablets in patients with mild to moderate essential hypertension.
abstract: A double-blind, double-dummy, randomised, multicentre study to compare the efficacy and tolerability of lercanidipine with losartan. Patients with mild to moderate hypertension (supine diastolic blood pressure (DBP) 95-115 mm Hg) were enrolled and underwent a placebo run-in period of 14-30 days before random allocation to lercanidipine tablets 10 mg once-daily (n = 234) or losartan tablets 50 mg once-daily (n = 231) during the assessment period (approximately 16 weeks). Titration to lercanidipine 20 mg once-daily (two 10 mg tablets) or losartan 100 mg once-daily (two 50 mg tablets) was allowed after 8 weeks, if necessary. At the end of the study, 71% of patients who received lercanidipine tablets had achieved normalised DBP (ie, < or =90 mm Hg) and 81% had responded to treatment (ie, DBP < or =90 mm Hg or a decrease in DBP > or =10 mm Hg). The corresponding numbers in the losartan tablets group were 65% and 78%, respectively. In those patients who required dose titration, there was evidence of a greater response with lercanidipine tablets than with losartan tablets. Both treatments were well tolerated with a low incidence of adverse drug reactions and a low withdrawal rate. In conclusion, the antihypertensive effects of lercanidipine tablets were comparable with those of losartan tablets; both treatments gave a high response rate for an antihypertensive monotherapy and were very well tolerated.
authors.affiliation: Spring House Surgery, Bolton, Lancashire, UK. iangordonjames@hotmail.com
authors.forename: I G V
authors.initials: IG
authors.lastname: James
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Davies
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D004095:Dihydropyridines / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D019808:Losartan / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013607:Tablets
chemical_list: D000959:Antihypertensive Agents; D004095:Dihydropyridines; D013607:Tablets; D019808:Losartan; C060343:lercanidipine