[Medication of the month. Olmesartan medoxomil hydroclorothiazide (Olmetec Plus or Belsar Plus]

The therapeutic control of hypertension is still a global challenge and frequently requires combination therapy. Olmesartan medoxomil hydrochlorothiazide (Olmetec plus, Belsar plus) is a fixed-dose combination of olmesartan 20 mg and hydrochlorothiazide 12.5 or 25 mg. Olmesartan is a well known angiotensin II AT1 receptor blocker characterized by a good efficacy, a fast and prolonged duration of action and a placebo-like tolerability. With the combination therapy, no significant change of pharmacokinetics of either component is observed. The fixed-dose combination results in a greater blood pressure reduction compared to monotherapy with either component. This is at least effective as or even more effective than the combination of atenolol or losartan with hydrochlorothiazide, respectively. The responder rate is about 90%. The safety and tolerability remain excellent. Beyond the antihypertensive effect, olmesartan significantly reduces vascular inflammation and the wall-to-lumen ration in arteries. The starting dose is 20/12.5 mg.