Renoprotective Effect and Cost-Effectiveness of Using Benidipine, a Calcium Channel Blocker, to Lower the Dose of Angiotensin Receptor Blocker in Hypertensive Patients with Albumiuria

Renoprotective effect of calcium channel blockers in combination with an angiotensin receptor blocker in elderly patients with hypertension. A randomized crossover trial between benidipine and amlodipine

Anti-hypertensive medication with an angiotensin II receptor blocker (ARB) is effective in slowing the progression of chronic kidney disease. The present study was designed to investigate whether calcium channel blockers (CCBs) in combination with an ARB differentially affect kidney function. Elderly hypertensive patients with chronic kidney disease (n = 17, 72 +/- 6 years old) were instructed to self-measure blood pressure. They were randomly assigned to receive either benidipine (4-8 mg/day) or amlodipine (5-10 mg/day) combined with olmesartan (10 mg/day). After 3 months, CCBs were switched in each patient and the same protocol was applied for another 3 months. At baseline, significant correlation was obtained between urine albumin (22.8 +/- 16.7 (median +/- median absolute deviation) mg/g creatinine) and self-measured blood pressure (170 +/- 23/87 +/- 10 (mean +/- SD) mmHg, r = 0.65, p < 0.01). Both regimens reduced blood pressure to a similar extent (139 +/- 22/75 +/- 11 mmHg and 133 +/- 17/72 +/- 10 mmHg, respectively; both p < 0.001), while urine albumin decreased only after combination therapy including benidipine (11.7 +/- 6.1 mg/g creatinine, p < 0.05). Benidipine, but not amlodipine, in combination with olmesartan, reduced urinary albumin excretion in elderly hypertensive patients with chronic kidney disease. The results suggest the importance of selecting medications used in combination with ARB in hypertensive patients with chronic kidney disease.

Blood pressure responder rates versus goal rates: which metric matters?

Reducing blood pressure (BP) to guideline-recommended goals associated with reductions in cardiovascular risk is central to effective hypertension management. In addition to measuring BP reduction, clinical trials of antihypertensive agents should assess the percentage of patients responding to treatment. The Food and Drug Administration's defined rate of response required for drug approval is a reduction in diastolic BP (DBP) to <90 mmHg and/or a DBP reduction of > or = 10 mmHg. Consequently, some patients may be counted as responders even if they have not reached DBP <90 mmHg. An antihypertensive agent's effectiveness may be better assessed by the proportion of patients who achieve recommended BP goals. This article analyzes the frequency of response rates versus goal rates as endpoints in randomized trials since January 2001. Data showed that goal rates, especially combined systolic BP (SBP)/DBP goal rates, are consistently lower than response rates in studies evaluating both endpoints. Goal rates incorporating both SBP and DBP, or having a focus on SBP for individuals >50 years of age, provide the most clinically relevant information and are a more clinically relevant metric of an agent's ability to reduce BP than DBP alone.

Comparison of the antiproteinuric effects of the calcium channel blockers benidipine and amlodipine administered in combination with angiotensin receptor blockers to hypertensive patients with stage 3-5 chronic kidney disease

Benidipine, an L- and T-type calcium channel blocker, dilates both efferent and afferent arterioles and reduces glomerular pressure. Thus, it may exert renoprotective effects. We conducted an open-labeled, randomized trial to compare the blood pressure (BP)-lowering effect and antiproteinuric effect of benidipine with those of amlodipine in hypertensive patients with moderate-to-advanced-stage chronic kidney disease (CKD) (stages 3-5). These patients were already being administered the current maximum recommended doses of angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs). Patients with BP >or=140/90 mm Hg, despite treatment with the maximum recommended dose of ARBs, were randomly assigned to two groups. The patients received either of the following treatment regimens: 4 mg day(-1) of benidipine, which was increased up to a dose of 16 mg day(-1) (B group; n=24), and 2.5 mg day(-1) of amlodipine, which was increased up to a dose of 10 mg day(-1) amlodipine (A group; n=23). After 6 months of treatment, a significant and comparable reduction in the systolic and diastolic BP was seen in both groups. The decrease in the urinary protein to creatinine ratio in the B group was significantly lower than that in the A group. Benidipine exerted antiproteinuric effect to a greater extent than did amlodipine, even in patients with diabetic nephropathy. We conclude that the addition of benidipine, rather than amlodipine, ameliorates urinary protein excretion in hypertensive patients with CKD who are already being administered ARBs. Therefore, we propose a combination therapy with benidipine and ARBs, even for patients with moderate-to-advanced-stage CKD.