Efficacy and safety of aliskiren and amlodipine combination therapy in patients with hypertension: a randomized, double-blind, multifactorial study

Most patients with hypertension need more than one drug to achieve blood pressure (BP) control. This randomized, double-blind, multifactorial study evaluated whether combinations of aliskiren and amlodipine provided superior BP reductions to component monotherapies in patients with hypertension (mean sitting diastolic BP (msDBP) 95–<110 mm Hg). Overall, 1688 patients were randomized to once-daily monotherapy with aliskiren 150 or 300 mg or amlodipine 5 or 10 mg, combination therapy with one of four corresponding aliskiren/amlodipine doses, or placebo for 8 weeks. At week 8 end point, aliskiren/amlodipine combinations provided significant msDBP reductions from baseline of 14.0–16.5 mm Hg, compared with reductions of 8.0 and 10.2 mm Hg for aliskiren 150 and 300 mg, respectively ( P <0.001), and 11.0 and 13.8 mm Hg for amlodipine 5 and 10 mg, respectively ( P <0.05). Aliskiren/amlodipine combinations provided reductions in mean sitting systolic BP 20.6–23.9 mm Hg, compared with decreases of 10.7 and 15.4 mm Hg for aliskiren 150 and 300 mg, respectively ( P <0.001), and 15.8 and 21.0 mm Hg for amlodipine 5 ( P ⩽0.001) and 10 mg ( P =NS), respectively. Aliskiren/amlodipine combination therapy provides greater BP lowering than either agent alone, hence offering an effective treatment option for patients with hypertension.