Dose-responsive antihypertensive efficacy of valsartan, a new angiotensin II-receptor blocker

Predictable dose-related efficacy is considered to be an important attribute of any antihypertensive agent. To determine the magnitude of dose-responsive efficacy for valsartan, a highly selective angiotensin II-receptor blocker, we conducted an integrated analysis of efficacy data from nine double-masked, randomized, placebo-controlled, parallel studies of similar design and of at least 4 weeks' duration. The intent-to-treat analysis included 4067 patients with mild-to-moderate hypertension who had received valsartan (n = 2901) 10, 20, 40, 80, 160, or 320 mg once daily or placebo (n = 1166). Blood pressure was assessed at trough (24 hours after the last dose). In all nine studies, valsartan doses > or = 80 mg produced statistically significant reductions in supine or seated diastolic blood pressure (SDBP) and systolic blood pressure (SSBP) compared with placebo (P < 0.05). The integrated analysis demonstrated a clear increase in blood-pressure-lowering efficacy with increasing dose across the range 10 to 320 mg (placebo-subtracted mean changes from baseline to end point for valsartan 10, 20, 40, 80, 160, and 320 mg, respectively: SDBP, -0.8, -2.8, -2.6, -3.9, -5.1, and -6.4 mm Hg; SSBP, -1.3, -5.7, -5.3, -6.8, -8.6, and -9.0 mm Hg). The data demonstrate that valsartan provides dose-responsive antihypertensive efficacy across the therapeutic dose range, with clinically relevant blood-pressure lowering at doses > or = 80 mg once daily.