[The usefulness of a new class antihypertensive drug, angiotensin II receptor antagonist, for essential hypertension].

Nonpeptide angiotensin II type 1-receptor antagonists, AT1 receptor antagonists, are newly developed and useful drugs for essential hypertension. In Japan, the efficacy and safty of losartan and candesartan cilexetil in patients with essential hypertension have been evaluated by the double-blind, parallel group-comparison study using enelaprol maleate as control drug. Both trials revealed that these drugs showed a hypotensive effect comparable to that of enalapril with a high safety since the adverse drug reaction of cough was recognized in very few patients. Since the blood pressure normalizes only in the patient of about 50%, it is often required to add low-dose hydrochlorothiazide or calcium antagonist. Combination therapies further decreased blood pressure without any increases in side effects of the drugs. AT1 receptor antagonists in both mono-therapy and combination therapy with diuretics/Ca antagonists are very useful and safe in the hypertension treatment.