Valsartan: Long Term Efficacy and Tolerability Compared to Lisinopril in Elderly Patients with Essential Hypertension

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Abstract
A total of 501 elderly patients with essential hypertension were randomized to receive valsartan or lisinopril in this one year multi-center, double-blind, parallel group trial. Patients received valsartan 40 mg (n=334) or lisinopril 2.5 mg (n=167) daily for 2 weeks with subsequent titration (alone or in combination with hydroclorothiazide), depending on response to treatment. The primary efficacy variable was the percentage of patients with a response, defined as sitting diastolic blood pressure <90 mmHg or drop of ≥10 mmHg from baseline. A high percentage of patients responded to treatment in both valsartan and lisinopril groups: 80% for both groups at 12 weeks and 81% and 87%, respectively, at 52 weeks with no statistically significant difference between treatments (12 weeks, p= 0.925; 52 weeks, p= 0.148).