August 2010, BSP Symposia at the ESC Congress, Stockholm, Sweden

Following the success and on-going findings from ONTARGET^® (The ONgoing Telmisartan Alone and in Combination with Ramipril Global Endpoint Trial) and TALENT^® (A Multicentre STudy EvALuating the Efficacy of Nifedipine GITS – Telmisartan Combination in BP Control and Beyond: comparison of two strategies), BSP conducted 2 satellite symposia at the ESC Congress to present the trials' results and discuss their clinical implications.

 

Co-chaired by Profs. Roland Asmar (France) and Walter Van Mieghem (Belgium), the symposium examined the results of ONTARGET^® and its potential to set a new standard in anti-hypertensive treatment including reduction of CV risk.

Prof. Van Mieghem commenced by presenting the results from the ONTARGET^® trial and the resulting new indication for Pritor^®/Kinzal^® in CV protection. He reviewed the TRANSCEND^® and PRoFESS^™ trials, concluding that both studies showed positive results in particular in view of the differences in baseline treatment (table 1), the number of patients included within TRANSCEND^® (table 2), the short follow up period of PRoFESS^™ (table 2) and the decreasing level of CV risk in the patient population (HOPE -17.8% vs. TRANSCEND^® -14.8% ).

 

Prof. Ulrich Kintscher (Germany) then examined cardiovascular risk reduction in diabetic patients with ARBs. He provided a summary of the results from AMADEO^™, demonstrating the benefits of Pritor^®/Kinzal^® over losartan in patients with overt nephropathy and type 2 diabetes (T2D), the meta-analysis of TRANSCEND^® and PRoFESS^™ on the reduction in new-onset T2D and the potential metabolic effects of Pritor^®/Kinzal^®.

Prof. Van Mieghem concluded the symposium by stating that Pritor^®/Kinzal^® is the first and only ARB with such a broad indication in CV protection, setting a standard in the treatment of hypertension and CV risk management.

 

The BSP Hypertension Symposium, jointly conducted by Pritor^®/Kinzal^® (telmisartan) and Adalat^® (nifedipine GITS), was co-chaired by Profs. Giuseppe Mancia (Italy) and Henry Elliott (UK) and attended by more than 300 delegates. The programme examined the need for improved BP management in high risk patients and the role and potential benefits of combination therapy per se and in particular Pritor^®/Kinzal^® and Adalat^® GITS therapy.

Prof. Thomas Unger (Germany) started by looking at new standards in cardiovascular risk management. He highlighted the need for improved BP control in high-risk patients to reduce the incidence of CV events and the significance of the broad new Pritor^®/Kinzal^® indication to benefit this large patient group.

Prof. Luis Ruilope (Spain) examined the role and benefits of ARBs and the metabolic syndrome. He first presented the Pritor^®/Kinzal^® effect in reducing target organ damage, as demonstrated in the PROTECTION^® programme. Prof. Ruilope then discussed the reduction in new-onset diabetes shown by ARBs, Pritor^®/Kinzal^®’s unique new indication for CV protection in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D), and its potential benefits in glucose and insulin metabolism. On this evidence, he concluded that Pritor^®/Kinzal^® is a suitable treatment for patients with T2D and the metabolic syndrome.

 

Prof. Henry Elliott then discussed the results of ACTION (A Coronary Disease Trial Investigating Outcome with Nifedipine GITS) and the clinical outcomes for patients. Through ACTION, he demonstrated that Adalat^® GITS can significantly improve prognosis and reduce coronary interventions in patients with chronic stable angina and hypertension in the whole study population and even more in patients with ISH. Patients receiving RAS blocking drugs in addition to Adalat^® GITS benefit also more than the total study population.

 

The symposium was concluded by Prof. Giuseppe Mancia looking at the results and practical considerations of the TALENT^® study. Data from previous studies reveal that the majority of hypertensive patients require combination therapy to reach BP targets. Also current guidelines recommend combination therapy for high CV risk patients. Through TALENT^®, it has been demonstrated that Pritor^®/Kinzal^® and Adalat^® GITS, through their different but complementary modes of action, when used in combination, can achieve better BP control in as early as 2 weeks than with each drug alone. This early BP control is important for protection against long-term CVD development. Additionally, ambulatory BP data showed that the effect of the combination was consistent over 24 hours. He concluded by stating that the well-established efficacy and safety profiles of the individual agents used in TALENT^® make Pritor^®/Kinzal^® and Adalat^® GITS excellent components of any antihypertensive treatment strategy.

For more information on the Pritor^®/Kinzal^® clinical trial programme, including rationale, results and expert opinions, please visit www.ICMAedu.com