Amlodipine/ARB fixed-dose combinations for the treatment of hypertension: focus on amlodipine/olmesartan combination.

The incidence of hypertension continues to increase worldwide and, according to recent estimates, its incidence is approximately 30% of the U.S. population. However, the control of blood pressure (BP) to recommended levels of < 140/90 mmHg for uncomplicated hypertension, recommended in the 7th Report of the Joint National Committee (JNC-7) on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation and Treatment of High Blood Pressure, remains low at 36.8%. Because the level of BP is directly related to cardiovascular and stroke morbidity and mortality, aggressive treatment and control of hypertension are strongly indicated. Since monotherapy alone is not effective for the control of stage 2 hypertension, fixed-dose combination therapy with two complementary drugs has been recommended by the JNC-7 guidelines as initial therapy for subjects with diastolic BP > or = 100 mmHg and systolic BP > or = 160 mmHg. There are several fixed-dose combination preparations already available, each with its individual indications. The recently FDA-approved fixed-dose combinations of amlodipine with either olmesartan or valsartan are very effective in treating hypertension and are safe and well tolerated. In addition to reducing BP, these new fixed-dose combinations have also demonstrated significant reductions in the inciendence of edema associated with amlodipine monotherapy, which makes them more acceptable to patients. In addition, due to the metabolic neutrality of both component drugs, these preparations are preferable for the treatment of hypertensive patients with diabetes or the metabolic syndrome, in addition to other cardiovascular risk factors.