New Data Shows AZOR(R) (amlodipine and olmesartan medoxomil) Significantly Improves 24-Hour Ambulatory Bloo...( AZTEC Trial First to Examine AZOR Usi...),Health

AZTEC Trial First to Examine AZOR Using 24-Hour Ambulatory BP Measures

PARSIPPANY, N.J., May 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Daiichi Sankyo, Inc. announced today that data presented at the American Society of Hypertension, Inc. (ASH) Twenty-Fourth Annual Scientific Meeting and Exposition (ASH 2009) in San Francisco from the AZOR(R) Trial Evaluating Blood Pressure Reductions and Control (AZTEC) demonstrated that a stepwise amlodipine and olmesartan medoxomil-based titration regimen provided mean 24-hour ambulatory reductions in systolic blood pressure (SBP) of 21.4 mm Hg and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) of 12.7 mm Hg. In addition, 71 percent of patients in the study were able to safely and effectively achieve a 24-hour ambulatory target blood pressure (BP) of <130/80 mm Hg. The study also showed large mean 24-hour ambulatory BP reductions in patients with hypertension from two groups with elevated risk for developing hypertension, Blacks (20.7/11 mm Hg) and patients with type 2 diabetes (21.5/12.6 mm Hg).

AZTEC was the first time researchers have analyzed the effect of AZOR on 24-hour ambulatory BP measurement (ABPM), which provides a 24-hour measurement of patient BP and is generally considered a better indicator of target organ injury than cuff Measurement.(1) ABPM can give physicians a clearer picture of 24-hour BP control in patients with hypertension.(2) According to the Seventh Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation and Treatment of High Blood Pressure (JNC 7), ABPM patients whose 24-hour BP is >135/85 mm Hg are nearly twice as likely to have a cardiovascular event as those with BP <135/85 mm Hg.(3) There are no studies with AZOR demonstrating a reduction in cardiovascular events.

"Analyzing ambulatory BP gives physicians a clear picture of how well a patient's BP is controlled through a full 24-hour dosing period," said Dr. Joel Neutel, MD, direct
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