Clinical experience with spirapril in human hypertension

The efficacy and tolerability of spirapril were evaluated in a prospective, multicentre, post-marketing surveillance study on the treatment of arterial hypertension in 5000 patients, most of whom had received a single daily dose of 6 mg spirapril. The study was carried out by internists and general practitioners. In accordance with placebo-controlled clinical trials, spirapril was proven to be a very effective antihypertensive drug, in respect of both the mean reduction in systolic and diastolic blood pressure achieved as well as the responder rate of 89.4% and 85.4% for systolic and diastolic blood pressure, respectively. Efficacy was equally good in single drug treatment and combination treatment. Differentiated evaluation of blood pressure values in respect of the severity of hypertension on the basis of the World Health Organization classification showed a clear relationship between the baseline blood pressure and the reduction in blood pressure. The higher the baseline blood pressure, the more pronounced was the antihypertensive efficacy; a particular reduction in diastolic blood pressure being observed. Tolerability was also good, with an incidence of side effects of only 2.9%. Coughing was observed in only 0.88% of patients. Thus spirapril is seen to be an effective and well-tolerated antihypertensive drug whose efficacy is clearly related to baseline blood pressure and thus is also very effective in the treatment of severe forms of hypertension.