Comparison of the Efficacy and Safety of Quinapril vs. Captopril in Treatment of Moderate to Severe Hypertension

The results of this multicenter double-blind comparative study in 172 patients with moderate to severe hypertension indicate that twice daily quinapril (20-80 mg/day) is significantly more effective than captopril (50-200 mg/day) at reducing blood pressure. Following a minimum of four weeks of treatment, the results in evaluable patients showed a significantly greater reduction of diastolic blood pressure (DBP) in the quinapril group than in the captopril group (18.6 vs 15.3 mm Hg, respectively, p less than 0.05). An intent-to-treat analysis using blood pressure data from all patients having values within an eight-to-sixteen-hour postdose treatment window showed quinapril to produce a significantly greater reduction in DBP than captopril (18.2 vs 14.8 mm Hg, respectively, p = less than 0.05). Throughout the course of the six-week study, quinapril consistently showed efficacy superior to captopril despite a faster captopril dose titration.