Open AccessSafety and Tolerability of the Direct Renin Inhibitor Aliskiren in Combination With Angiotensin Receptor Blockers and Thiazide Diuretics: A Pooled Analysis of Clinical Experience of 12,942 Patients
Author(s) -
White William B.,
Bresalier Robert,
Kaplan Allen P.,
Palmer Biff F.,
Riddell Robert H.,
Lesogor Anastasia,
Chang William,
Keefe Deborah L.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
the journal of clinical hypertension
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.909
H-Index - 67
eISSN - 1751-7176
pISSN - 1524-6175
DOI - 10.1111/j.1751-7176.2011.00438.x
Subject(s) - aliskiren , medicine , tolerability , losartan , valsartan , diuretic , combination therapy , pharmacology , thiazide , hyperkalemia , chlorthalidone , adverse effect , urology , renin–angiotensin system , endocrinology , blood pressure
J Clin Hypertens (Greenwich). 2011;13:506–516. ©2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Combinations of the direct renin inhibitor aliskiren with angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) or diuretics are effective therapeutic regimens for the treatment of hypertension. A large database of safety information has become available during the past several years with aliskiren in combination trials. Data were pooled from 9 short‐term (8‐week) and 4 longer‐term (26‐ to 52‐week) randomized controlled trials of aliskiren in patients with hypertension. Adverse event (AE) rates were assessed for aliskiren combination therapy compared with component monotherapies. In short‐term studies, overall AE rates were similar for patients receiving aliskiren/valsartan or aliskiren/diuretic combinations (32.2%–39.8%) and those receiving the component monotherapies (30.0%–39.6%). In longer‐term studies, AE rates with aliskiren/losartan (55.5%) and aliskiren/diuretic (45.0%) combination therapy were similar to those with losartan (53.9%) and diuretic (48.9%) alone. Angioedema and hyperkalemia occurred in similar proportions of patients taking combination therapies vs monotherapy. The safety and tolerability profile of aliskiren in combination with the ARBs valsartan or losartan, or diuretic, is similar to aliskiren, ARBs, or diuretics alone.