The Efficacy of Single-pill Combination of Olmesartan Medoxomil and Amlodipine Besylate on Office Blood Pressure in Hypertensive Patients who did not Respond to Amlodipine Besylate Monotherapy.

Background: As combination therapy, switching to single-pill combination (SPC) medication after a short period of monotherapy is helpful because reducing pill numbers can improve patients' adherence to medications. This study was aimed to assess the effect of the single-pill combination (SPC) of olmesartan medoxomil 20 mg and amlodipine besylate 5mg (OLM 20 mg/AML 5 mg) on blood pressure (BP) reduction in hypertensive patients who did not respond to amlodipine besylate 5 mg (AML 5 mg) monotherapy for 4 weeks.

Methods: This study was a prospective, open-label, multi-center, non-comparative study. Patients whose BP was not got the target BP (≥140 mmHg and if diabetic patients ≥130 mmHg) after 4 weeks treatment with AML 5 mg, were enrolled. AML 5 mg was switched to the SPC (OLM 20 mg/AML 5 mg) treatment for 8 weeks. The primary effectiveness endpoint was the reduction of seated systolic blood pressure (SeSBP) after SPC (OLM 20 mg/AML 5 mg) treatment for 8 weeks. The changes of brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV), central BP (CBP), and augmentation index (AIx@75) were evaluated also.

Results: Forty-seven patients were enrolled (mean age = 52±9 years, 36 men). After the SPC treatment for 8 weeks, SeSBP was reduced from 153±9 mmHg to 131±18 mmHg and seated diastolic BP (SeDBP) from 95±8 mmHg to 81±11 mmHg (p<0.001 and p<0.001, respectively). The reduction of SeSBP/SeDBP were 22 mmHg and 14 mmHg, respectively. The target goal BP achievement rate was 74.5%, and baPWV, CBP, and AIx@75 were improved.

Conclusion: SPC (OLM 20 mg/AML 5 mg) treatment for 8 weeks was effective in reducing BP, achieving target BP goal, and also improving arterial stiffness in uncontrolled hypertensive patients with AML 5 mg monotherapy.