Publication:

A prospective comparative efficacy of azilsartan and telmisartan in hypertensive patients

Background Hypertension (HT) is defined as either a sustained systolic blood pressure of greater than 140 mmHg or a sustained diastolic blood pressure of greater than 90 mmHg, according to joint national committee (JNC VIII) on hypertension.

Methods A prospective, open, randomized parallel group comparative study of AZL versus telmisartan was done in patients of stage-I HT. The study included 80 patients, 40 in each group (group I and group II) coming to the Department of Pharmacology, Mahatma Gandhi Medical College and Research Institute, Pillayarkuppam, Pondicherry from January 2016 to December 2017. The study was conducted over 8 weeks. Group-I, patients received azilsartan 40-80 mg per day in divided doses and group-II, patients received telmisartan 40-80 mg per day in divided doses according to severity of hypertension.

Results Patients receiving AZL 40 mg and telmisartan 40 mg showed a significant fall (p<0.05) in systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) at 4 weeks and 8 weeks, when compared to baseline. The difference in SBP and DBP between group I (AZL) and II (telmisartan) was statistically significant at 4 weeks (p<0.05) and was highly significant at 8 weeks (p<0.001). Adverse effects such as nasopharyngitis, upper respiratory tract infection, gastroenteritis, headache, dizziness, and fatigue were reported with both drugs.

Conclusions Reduction of BP with AZL was more as compared to telmisartan at 4 weeks and 8 weeks. Safety and tolerability were similar in both groups.