Efficacy and tolerability of fimasartan, a new angiotensin receptor blocker, compared with losartan (50/100 mg): a 12-week, phase III, multicenter, prospective, randomized, double-blind, parallel-group, dose escalation clinical trial with an optional 12-w

Angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) is an effective and well tolerated first-line antihypertensive drug. Fimasartan is a newly developed ARB that has not been compared with other ARBs with regard to its efficacy and tolerability. The goal of this study was to determine the noninferiority of fimasartan to losartan with regard to its efficacy and tolerability in adult Korean patients with mild-to-moderate hypertension. This was a randomized, multicenter, double-blind, parallel group, dose escalation, Phase III, noninferiority clinical trial. Patients aged 18 to 70 years with mild-to-moderate hypertension were randomized to receive either fimasartan 60/120 mg daily or losartan 50/100 mg daily with optional titration. Antihypertensive efficacy and tolerability were evaluated for 12 weeks. The primary end point was noninferiority of improvement in mean siDBP from baseline to week 12 for fimasartan compared with losartan. The incidence and severity of adverse events (AEs) and adverse drug reactions (ADRs) were evaluated to assess their tolerability. In addition, some patients whose blood pressure reached goal levels participated in a 24-week extension study for additional assessment of tolerability and efficacy. Five hundred six patients were randomly allocated to receive fimasartan (n = 256) or losartan (n = 250). There was no significant difference in baseline demographic characteristics between the 2 treatment groups (fimasartan-treated group-mean age, 53.96 [8.79] years; mean weight, 70.58 [11.73] kg; male, 68.02%; losartan-treated group-mean age, 53.58 [9.61] years; mean weight, 69.80 [11.08] kg; male, 70.17%). At week 12, siDBP was significantly decreased from baseline in both groups (-11.26 [7.53] mm Hg in the fimasartan group and -8.56 [7.72] mm Hg in the losartan group [P < 0.0001]). The between-group difference was 2.70 mm Hg (P = 0.0002), and the lower limit of the 2-sided 95% CI (1.27 mm Hg) was higher than the prespecified noninferiority margin (-2.5 mm Hg). The incidence of ADRs were 7.84% and 10.40% in the fimasartan and losartan groups, respectively (χ(2) test, P = 0.3181). The efficacy of fimasartan was maintained over 24 weeks, and its tolerability was comparable with losartan in the extension study. In this study with eligible adult Korean patients who had mild-to-moderate hypertension, the reduction of siDBP after 12 weeks of treatment with fimasartan 60/120 mg was noninferior to that of losartan 50/100 mg. By post hoc comparison, between-group differences in siDBP were significant in favor of fimasartan, suggesting superiority to losartan. There was no statistically significant difference in tolerability between the groups. This efficacy and tolerability were maintained throughout the additional 12-week extension study.

Lee SE ，Kim YJ ，Lee HY ，Yang HM ，Park CG ，Kim JJ ，Kim SK ，Rhee MY ，Oh BH ，Investigators ... -  《-》

Efficacy and tolerability of once-daily oral fimasartan 20 to 240 mg/d in Korean Patients with hypertension: findings from Two Phase II, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies.

Fimasartan is a selective angiotensin II receptor blocker developed for once-daily dosing. To meet the regulatory requirements for approval of an antihypertensive treatment in Korea, this pair of studies was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of fimasartan, to determine its dose-response relationship and minimum effective dose, and to characterize its blood pressure (BP)-reduction profile over the dosing interval. These 2 Phase II, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, and dose-response studies enrolled male or nonchildbearing female Korean patients aged 18 to 65 years (study 1) or 18 to 70 years (study 2) with essential hypertension (sitting diastolic BP [DBP] 95-<115 mm Hg [study 1] or 90-<110 mm Hg [study 2]). Patients were randomly assigned to receive fimasartan 20, 60, 120, or 180 mg (study 1) or 20, 60, 120, or 240 mg (study 2) or placebo in the same ratio, once daily for 4 weeks (study 1) or 8 weeks (study 2). Clinic BP was measured at trough, and change from baseline in DBP at week 4 (study 1) or 8 (study 2) was the primary efficacy end point. In study 1, 24-hour ambulatory BP monitoring (ABPM) was conducted. Treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) were assessed using a structured questionnaire, laboratory testing, physical examination, and ECG readings. Totals of 61 and 195 patients participated in studies 1 and 2, respectively (68% male; mean age, 50.1 and 55.1 years; DBP, 98.7 and 103.6 mm Hg; systolic BP, 147.0 and 158.1 mm Hg), of whom 52 (85.2%) and 169 (86.7%) completed each study. Data from ABPM were obtained from 45 patients (73.8%), and safety profile was evaluated in 225 participants. Four-week treatment with fimasartan 180 mg once daily was associated with a significantly greater mean reduction in DBP compared with placebo in study 1 (-16.4 vs -5.5 mm Hg; P = 0.022). In study 2, fimasartan 60, 120, and 240 mg once daily were associated with significantly greater reductions in DBP after 8 weeks of treatment compared with placebo (-14.4, -14.1, and -12.7 vs -5.8 mm Hg, respectively; P < 0.0001-< 0.005). Fimasartan 60 mg once daily was the minimum effective dose, and the dose-response relationship was flat at doses >60 mg once daily. BP reduction was maintained over the full 24-hour dosing interval (trough-to-peak ratios: 0.41-0.98). The proportions of patients who experienced TEAEs were comparable among the treatment groups in both studies, with headache (9.8%) and dizziness (4.4%) being most commonly reported. No serious AEs were reported. Once-daily oral administration of fimasartan was well tolerated and efficacious in reducing BP in these hypertensive Korean patient populations. ClinicalTrials.gov identifiers: NCT00937651 and NCT00923611.

Lee H ，Yang HM ，Lee HY ，Kim JJ ，Choi DJ ，Seung KB ，Jeon ES ，Ha JW ，Rim SJ ，Park JB ，Shin JH ，Oh BH ... -  《-》

Results of a phase III, 8-week, multicenter, prospective, randomized, double-blind, parallel-group clinical trial to assess the effects of amlodipine camsylate versus amlodipine besylate in Korean adults with mild to moderate hypertension.

Kim SH ，Kim YD ，Lim DS ，Yoon MH ，Ahn YK ，On YK ，Lee JW ，Kim IJ ，Park JB ，Kim JJ ，Chung WS ，Yang JY ，Seo HS ，Shin EK ，Kim HS ，Korean Multicenter Amlodipine Study Investigators ... -  《CLINICAL THERAPEUTICS》

Efficacy and tolerability of two formulations of ramipril in Korean adults with mild to moderate essential hypertension: an 8-week, multicenter, prospective, randomized, open-label, parallel-group noninferiority trial.

Kim SH ，Chung WY ，Zo JH ，Kim MA ，Chang HJ ，Cho YS ，Youn TJ ，Chae IH ，Choi DJ ，Gwak JJ ，Lee HY ，Park JS ，Kang HJ ，Kim YJ ，Kim HS ... -  《CLINICAL THERAPEUTICS》

Comparative efficacy and safety profile of amlodipine 5 mg/losartan 50 mg fixed-dose combination and amlodipine 10 mg monotherapy in hypertensive patients who respond poorly to amlodipine 5 mg monotherapy: an 8-week, multicenter, randomized, double-blind

The number of hypertensive patients achieving treatment targets is not ideal with therapies that engage a single mechanism of action, and combination therapies using different mechanisms of action can increase drug efficacy in a synergistic way. This noninferiority study compared the clinical efficacy and safety profile of fixed-dose combination of amlodipine/losartan 5/50 mg and amlodipine 10 mg monotherapy in essential hypertensive patients who respond poorly to amlodipine 5 mg monotherapy. This was a double-blind, multicenter, randomized trial of hypertensive patients (N = 185) aged ≥18 years taking amlodipine 5 mg during the run-in treatment period but failed to achieve sitting diastolic blood pressure (DBP) <90 mm Hg. After randomization into the amlodipine/losartan 5/50 mg fixed-dose combination group (n = 92) and the amlodipine 10 mg monotherapy group (n = 93), treatment was maintained without dose escalation for 8 weeks. The noninferiority margin was prespecified as 4 mm Hg after 8 weeks of treatment for the difference of the average change in DBP between treatments. The primary efficacy evaluation of noninferiority was tested using a confidence interval approach with a 97.5% 1-sided lower confidence limit using the average difference in DBP measured at baseline and 8 weeks. After 8 weeks, the DBP of both groups decreased from baseline by 8.9 (6.1) and 9.4 (7.5) mm Hg, respectively (difference = -0.5 [6.9] mm Hg, 95% CI: -2.5 to 1.5). Secondary end points of reductions in DBP after 4 weeks (-8.1 [6.7] vs -9.9 [7.3] mm Hg, difference = -1.8 mm Hg, 95% CI: -3.9 to 0.2) and sitting systolic blood pressure after 4 (-10.2 [11.8] vs -12.8 [10.2] mm Hg, difference = -2.6 mm Hg, 95% CI: -5.9 to 0.6) and 8 weeks (-12.2 [11.0] vs -13.4 [11.3] mm Hg, difference = -1.2 mmHg, 95% CI: -4.4 to 2.1) were comparable between the 2 treatment groups. There were 38 adverse events in 20 patients (21.7%) in the amlodipine/losartan 5/50 mg fixed-dose combination group and 31 in 24 patients (26.1%) in the amlodipine 10 mg monotherapy group; most were mild. There were 7 adverse events in 6 patients (6.5%) related to treatment in the fixed-dose combination group and 13 in 10 patients (10.9%) in the monotherapy group (P = 0.30). Fixed-dose combination amlodipine/losartan 5/50 mg was not inferior in terms of reductions in DBP after 8 weeks of treatment and had comparable safety profile to amlodipine 10 mg in patients who did not respond to amlodipine 5 mg monotherapy. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00940667.

Kang SM ，Youn JC ，Chae SC ，Park CG ，Yang JY ，Kim MH ，Hong TJ ，Kim CH ，Kim JJ ，Shin DG ，Jeong JW ，Yoon JH ，Park SH ，Kwon J ，Cho SY ... -  《-》