Telmisartan/hydrochlorothiazide: a new fixed dose combination

Many patients with hypertension require two or more antihypertensive drugs with complementary mechanisms of action to lower their blood pressure and attain the therapeutic goals specified in internationally accepted guidelines. Yet, these latter guidelines offer the choice of fixed dose combinations as possible first-step therapies. The angiotensin II type 1-receptor antagonist telmisartan and the diuretic hydrochlorothiazide are two antihypertensive agents that have a well-recognized clinical efficacy. Their combination was shown in randomized, controlled trials to be more effective than each agent alone in lowering blood pressure, due to a dual and synergistic mechanism. Indeed, combining telmisartan with hydrochlorothiazide enhances the antihypertensive efficacy of telmisartan in almost two-thirds of hypertensive patients with mild-to-moderate hypertension. The pharmacokinetics and -dynamics of the combination are similar to monotherapy, and the addition of hydrochlorothiazide to telmisartan does not modify the excellent tolerability profile of the drug.