Rome, 2007: 2nd Annual Pritor/Kinzal Stand Alone Symposium

(Sept, 2007) The second Pritor^®/Kinzal^® Symposium with the title "Telmisartan. Aim for more Protection" welcomed over 470 physicians from across Europe on September 22, 2007 in Rome. A large panel of internationally renowned experts presented the latest developments and perspectives in the management of hypertension, and stressed once again the relationship between hypertension and cardiovascular disease. The participants were updated on the most recent clinical outcomes and implications that have been achieved with Pritor^®/Kinzal^®, including information about the ongoing ONTARGET^® Trial in the morning sessions. During the afternoon, the physicians were given the opportunity to review the presentations heard in the morning, but also to discuss the issues of managing hypertension and cardiovascular risk factors with their local colleagues.

Giuseppe Mancia (Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Milan, Italy), welcomed the participants together with Sverre Kjeldsen (Department of Internal Medicine, Ullevaal University Hospital, Oslo, Norwegen) who then outlined the global problem of hypertension. Currently, 1 billion people are affected by hypertension and it is expected that it will increase to a total of 1.56 billion by 2025.

During the next presentation, Gianfranco Parati (University of Milano-Bicocca & Instituto Auxologico Italiano, Milan, Italy) stressed the importance of effective antihypertensive treatment for end-organ protection. This is particularly supported by data which have shown that telmisartan is superior to both, losartan and valsartan, in controlling blood pressure over 24 hour period.

Peter Meredith (Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, University of Glasgow, UK) continued by comparing the different angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) and whether ARBs are providing additional benefits beyond blood pressure reduction. The (AMADEO™ trial, for example, has been conducted to determine whether pharmacological differences between telmisartan and losartan would translate into larger and more durable reductions in urinary protein excretion over time in hypertensive patients with type 2 diabetes. The trial demonstrated that telmisartan significantly lowered the creatinine ratio in comparison to losartan. The AMADEO™ study is part of the PROTECTION^® Programme (Programme of Research tO show Telmisartan End-organ proteCTION) which was initiated to underline the preventive effect of long-acting telmisartan in patients with hypertension, type 2 diabetes and early target organ damage.

Afterwards, Thomas Unger (Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology Charité, University Medicine Berlin, Berlin, Germany) presented the cardiometabolic benefits of ARBs. He explained the protective benefits of ARBs observed with the blockade of renin-angiotensin-aldosteron system (RAAS). The dual blockade of telmisartan and ramipril will be further examined in the Ongoing Telmisartan Alone and in combination with Ramipril Global Endpoint Trial (ONTARGET^®) Programme.

José R. Gonazalez Juanatey (Cardiology Department of University Hospital, Santiago de Compostela, Spain) presented further evidence of the positive cardiometabolic effect of telmisartan, as clinical studies demonstrated a significant improvement in insulin resistance, glucose and lipid metabolism with telmisartan.

Massimo Volpe (Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, University of Rome La Sapienza, Roma, Italy) illustrated the cardiorenal protection of telmisartan which is demonstrated in several clinical studies, such as AMADEO™, VIVALDI^®, TRENDY^®, DETAIL^® and INNOVATION^® which are all part of the PROTECTION^® Trial Programme.

Roland Asmar (Cardiovascular Institute, Paris, France) provided an update about the (ONTARGET^® Trial Programme, the largest ARB trial which includes 31,546 high-risk patients from 40 countries. This study offers the unique opportunity to examine whether a combination of telmisartan with an ACE inhibitor might be more beneficial for cardiorenal protections than the monotherapy.

Giuseppe Mancia, Chairman of the symposia, closed the scientific session with a presentation emphasizing the importance of blood pressure control as the primary goal to be achieved when treating hypertensive patients, as the new ESC guidelines are recommending.