American College Of Cardiology Scientific Sessions, In Brief

Dual renin-angiotensin system inhibition is better: Combining Novartis' newly approved direct renin inhibitor Tekturna (aliskiren) with the firm's angiotensin receptor blocker Diovan (valsartan) yields better antihypertensive efficacy than either monotherapy. In a 1,797-patient placebo-controlled study, a combination of aliskiren 300 mg and valsartan 320 mg produces significantly greater blood pressure control rates (49.3% reaching <140/90 mmHg vs. 37.4% for aliskiren, 33.8% for valsartan and 16.5% for placebo), "provides significant additional BP lowering of up to 4.5/3.2 mmHg over [aliskiren] or [valsartan] alone and retains the excellent tolerability of [aliskiren] and [valsartan] monotherapy," the abstract states. Other aliskiren data presented at ACC include an analysis showing BP reductions persisted up to four weeks after discontinuation and a comparative study showing that more patients on Tekturna reached their BP goal than on the ACE inhibitor ramipril (61.4% vs. 53.1%, respectively). Novartis is positioning Tekturna for use in combination therapy, building on its potentially complementary mechanism of action...