Aliskiren-based therapy lowers blood pressure more effectively than hydrochlorothiazide-based therapy in obese patients with hypertension: sub-analysis of a 52-week, randomized, double-blind trial

OBJECTIVES: To compare the long-term efficacy, safety and tolerability of the direct renin inhibitor aliskiren against the diuretic hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) in obese patients with hypertension. METHODS: A post hoc analysis of 396 obese patients (body mass index > or = 30 kg/m2) in a 52-week study in 1124 patients with hypertension was performed. Patients were randomized to receive aliskiren 150 mg or HCTZ 12.5 mg for 3 weeks, or placebo for 6 weeks. At week 3, active treatment doses were doubled. Patients receiving placebo were randomized to aliskiren 300 mg or HCTZ 25 mg at week 6. Add-on amlodipine 5-10 mg was permitted from week 12 to achieve blood pressure (BP) control (<140/90 mmHg). RESULTS: In the subgroup of obese patients, aliskiren monotherapy provided significantly greater BP reductions than HCTZ at week 12 endpoint (-16.7/-12.3 vs. -12.2/-9.1 mmHg, P < or = 0.001). Reductions were also greater with aliskiren-based therapy than HCTZ-based therapy at week 52 endpoint (-19.9/-15.5 vs. -17.5/-13.3 mmHg; P = 0.138 for systolic BP and P = 0.007 for diastolic BP). Mean BP reductions from baseline with aliskiren-based therapy were similar in obese and nonobese patients. By contrast, HCTZ-based therapy provided significantly smaller mean reductions in BP from baseline in obese patients vs. nonobese patients (P < 0.05). Aliskiren-based therapy was generally well tolerated in obese patients, and was associated with a significantly lower incidence of hypokalemia (1.0 vs. 14.0%, P < 0.0001) than HCTZ-based therapy. CONCLUSION: Aliskiren-based therapy provided superior BP reductions to HCTZ-based therapy with good tolerability in obese patients with hypertension.