The treatment arms for the ONTARGET(r) Trial were telmisartan 80mg, ramipril 10mg, and combination therapy with telmisartan 80mg and ramipril 10mg. In the TRANSCEND(r) trial the treatment arms are telmisartan 80mg or placebo - both on top of standard blood pressure care, not including an ACE or another ARB.(6),(17)
Patients enrolled in The ONTARGET(r) Trial Programme were aged more than or equal to 55 years, had a history of coronary artery disease, stroke or recent (> 7 days, < I year) transient ischaemic attack, peripheral vascular disease, or diabetes mellitus with target-organ damage such as microalbuminuria, ankle-brachial index < 0.8, or left ventricular hypertrophy.(17)
The ONTARGET(r) Trial had a four-fold composite endpoint:
- cardiovascular death,
- myocardial infarction,
- stroke, and
- hospitalisation for heart failure.
Patients intolerant to ACEs were not eligible for the ONTARGET(r) study. Intolerance to ACE was a requirement for enrolment into TRANSCEND(r).
The sponsor of the ONTARGET(r) Trial Programme is Boehringer Ingelheim; co-funders in selected countries are Bayer HealthCare and GlaxoSmithKline.
Boehringer Ingelheim
The Boehringer Ingelheim group is one of the world's 20 leading pharmaceutical companies. Headquartered in Ingelheim, Germany, it operates globally with 135 affiliates in 47 countries and 39,800 employees. Since it was founded in 1885, the family-owned company has been committed to researching, developing, manufacturing and marketing novel products of high therapeutic value for human and veterinary medicine.
In 2007, Boehringer Ingelheim posted net sales of 10.9 billion euro while spending one fifth of net sales in its largest business segment Prescription Medicines on research and development.
For more information please visit http://www.boehringer-ingelheim.com
Related links:
http://www.news-ontarget.com
http://www.ontarget-telmisartan.com
http://www.micardis.com
References
(1). Littlejohn T et al. Superior antihypertensive efficacy of the combination of telmisartan and amlodipine versus respective monotherapies in patients with hypertension: results of a factorial design study. Poster presented at 18th Scientific Meeting of the European Society of Hypertension and the 22nd Scientific Meeting of the International Society of Hypertension; Berlin, Germany, June 18 2008.
(2). Littlejohn T et al. Telmisartan and amlodipine combination therapy is powerful at lowering 24 hour blood pressure: findings of an ABPM substudy in hypertensive patients. Poster presented at 18th Scientific Meeting of the European Society of Hypertension and the 22nd Scientific Meeting of the International Society of Hypertension; Berlin, Germany, June 16 2008.
(3). Littlejohn T et al.Telmisartan and amlodipine combination provides an effective treatment option for patients with moderate or severe hypertension: subanalysis from a factorial design study Poster presented at 18th Scientific Meeting of the European Society of Hypertension and the 22nd Scientific Meeting of the International Society of Hypertension; Berlin, Germany, June 18 2008.
(4). Littlejohn T et al. Effect of telmisartan addition to amlodipine on reduction of incidence of peripheral edema and orthostatic BP changes: safety analysis. Poster presented at 18th Scientific Meeting of the European Society of Hypertension and the 22nd Scientific Meeting of the International Society of Hypertension; Berlin, Germany, June 18 2008.
(5). Neldam S et al. Efficacy and safety of telmisartan 80mg/HCTZ 25mg fixed-dose combination, alone or with other antihypertensive medications, during open-label, long-term treatment. Poster presented at 18th Scientific Meeting of the European Society of Hypertension and the 22nd Scientific Meeting of the International Society of Hypertension; Berlin, Germany, June 18 2008.
(6). The ONTARGET investigators. N Eng J Med 2008; 358(15):1547-59.
(7). Mallion JM. J Hum Hypertens 1999; 13:657-64.
(8). Lacourciere Y et al. Blood Press Monit 2004; 9:203-10.
(9). Parati GF et al. Presented at the Annual Meeting of the European Society of Hypertension. June 2006, Madrid, Spain.
(10). Neutel JM et al. Am J Ther 1999; 6:161-6.
(11). Freytag F et al. Clin Ther 2001; 23:108-23.
(12). Lacourciere Y et al. Blood Press Monit 1998; 3:295-302.
(13). Williams B et al. Br J Hypertens 2006; 24:193-200.
(14). World Health Organization, Fact Sheet 317: Cardiovascular Diseases February 2007. http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheet... (Accessed June 2008)
(15). Murray CJL, Lopez AD. eds. The Global Burden of Disease: A Comprehensive Assessment of Mortality and Disability from Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors in 1990 and Projected to 2020. Cambridge; Harvard University Press 2001.
(16). Primary Prevention of Ischemic Stroke. A Guideline From the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association Stroke Council. Stroke 2006; 37:1583-1633.
(17). The ONTARGET/TRANSCEND Investigators. Am Heart J 2004; 148(1):52-61.
Contact, Reinhard Malin, Corporate Division Communications, Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH, 55216 Ingelheim/Germany, Tel.: +49-6132-77-90815, Fax: +49-6132-72-6601, E-mail: reinhard.malin@boehringer-ingelheim.com
