ARB Azilsartan Shows Greater Efficacy in Lowering Blood Pressure Among Patients with Prediabetes and Type 2 Diabetes
Results of a recent analysis that compared the efficacy, safety, and metabolic effects of the angiotensin-receptor blocker (ARB) azilsartan medoxomil to valsartan and olmesartan separately in patients with prediabetes and type 2 diabetes found that azilsartan (80 mg) lowered systolic blood pressure to a significantly greater degree than either valsartan or olmesartan.
The analysis consisted of three randomized, double-blind, placebo and/or active-controlled clinical trials that included 3821 patients with hypertension and prediabetes or type 2 diabetes randomized to either azilsartan 40 or 80 mg; olmesartan 40 mg; valsartan 320 mg; or placebo. Based on both clinic and 24-hour blood pressure results, azilsartan showed greater antihypertensive efficacy. Safety and tolerability were shown to be similar among all treatment and placebo subgroups.
CMHC Chair and study co-author George L. Bakris, MD, said, “In today’s world the attitude within drug classes is they are all created equal, so just use the least expensive. Unfortunately, this is not true, at least within the ARB class, as azilsartan is clearly superior for blood pressure lowering when compared to other well-known agents in the class. Thus, at least for ARBs, they are not all created equal.”
