The Tertatolol International Multicenter Study (T.I.M.S.). Predicting factors of an efficient therapy

The Tertatolol International Multicenter Study (T.I.M.S.) was aimed at assessing the efficacy and tolerability of 5 mg tertatolol (T) once daily over a one year period and at finding, among the clinical variables before treatment, parameters predicting a successful single beta-blocking therapy. The study was carried out in 230 patients (96 men, 134 women, mean age +/- standard error of the mean: (51.5 +/- 0.7 years) suffering from uncomplicated mild to moderate hypertension. After a one-month placebo run-in period (M0-M1) and a one-month double-blind placebo-controlled period (M1-M2), 213 patients entered and 166 completed the one-year open period (M2-M14). A diuretic (D) was added if blood pressure (BP) was inadequately controlled with the single therapy. After one year, 88.5% of patients were controlled (sitting diastolic BP less than or equal to 90 mm Hg): 56.3% on single therapy (T) and 32.2% on dual therapy (T + D), respectively. Statistical analysis performed on the controlled subjects showed that patients who were controlled with T alone had an initially lower standing diastolic BP and a higher standing heart rate, were younger and had a lower sitting systolic BP than those controlled with T + D. Using such discriminant parameters which are predictors, 83.5% patients (single therapy group) and 49% patients (dual therapy group) were classified in the therapeutic group to which they really belonged. This study confirms the antihypertensive efficacy of tertatolol, and highlights relevant parameters for a successful single beta-blocker therapy in clinical practice.